


Natsu x Reader One Shots

by snuttlebug



Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst, F/M, Fanfiction, Fluff, One Shot, One Shot Collection
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-24
Updated: 2021-02-28
Packaged: 2021-03-04 06:21:11
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 88
Words: 191,963
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24889042
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/snuttlebug/pseuds/snuttlebug
Summary: Just a book of one shots for Natsu DragneelRequests are OPEN
Relationships: Natsu Dragneel/Reader
Comments: 16
Kudos: 149





	1. Chapter 1

Hey guys! This is just a bunch of one shots. I take requests, so just tell me your idea and I'll try my best to write it!

(Y/N) = your name

(L/N) = last name

(C/N) = child's name

(E/C) = eye color

(H/C) = hair color

(M/T) = magic type

(N/N) = nickname


	2. Natsu x Reader: Spider

“Natsu!”

At the sound of his name, the dragon slayer stopped eating and looked up to see a very panicked (Y/N). 

His voice was muffled by the food in his mouth as he responded, “What?”

(Y/N) looked down sheepishly before stuttering, “There’s a spider in the bathroom.”

Happy and Natsu looked at each other before Natsu chuckled and slowly stood up. He approached (Y/N) and ruffled her (H/C) hair before cracking his knuckles and heading into the bathroom. (Y/N) quietly followed him and poked her head around his shoulder to make sure that he actually got rid of it. Natsu turned to her and asked her to get a cup to trap the spider in. (Y/N) quickly did so and rushed back to hand him the cup before finally leaving the bathroom and sitting on the couch. 

“Got it!” Natsu shouted after a loud bang.

“Natsu, what on earth did you do this time?”

(Y/N) returned to the bathroom to see that Natsu’s hands were aggressively pushing the cup against the shower wall. He turned to her and grinned.

“You wanna see it?”

“No!”

“Oh come on, it looks super gross. You gotta see it.”

“Natsu, knock it off! Get rid of it.”

“Fine, fine,” Natsu sighed as he brought the cup over to the window. 

(Y/N) watched him carefully to make sure the spider actually got outside and breathed out in relief once she saw a small black speck fall from the cup. She joined Happy on the couch as she waited for Natsu to shut the window. 

“See? It wasn’t so bad. You totally should’ve seen it though. That thing was nasty.”

“I don’t want to know, Natsu. I’m just glad it’s gone.”

Natsu pouted, “You’re no fun.”

(Y/N) giggled before going back into the bathroom in hopes of a shower. Natsu heard another scream before she came running back out.

“I thought you said you got rid of it!”

“I did,” Natsu defended.

The dragon slayer once again joined (Y/N) in the bathroom to see that another spider was crawling on the wall. Natsu’s face got really close to the spider as he studied it.

“No way. This one is way grosser than the other one. (Y/N), come look.”

“Get rid of it!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know it's short, but I still hope you liked it!


	3. Natsu x Reader: Baking

“There needs to be more flour,” Natsu observed.

“No way!” (Y/N) shouted. “It looks fine the way it is.”

“The recipe says--”

“The recipe is wrong! Mira makes it this way.”

“Why don’t we just ask Mira for help then?” Natsu suggested. 

“We can do this without help. I believe in us.”

“I don’t believe in either of you,” Happy commented as he floated through the apartment.

“Happy! How could you say that? I’ve cooked many cakes before and you’ve loved them.”

“But (Y/N), you were following a recipe then,” Happy defended.

(Y/N) huffed before turning back to the salmon haired wizard and crossing her arms.

“Do you believe in us?”

“Honestly? Not really. We totally need Mira.”

(Y/N) groaned before handing Natsu the flour and telling him to add as much as he felt was right. She started to mix the bowl again and turned to Natsu with a proud look as the mixture started to more closely resemble a batter. 

“We can totally do this.”

Natsu muttered, “Told you we needed more flour.”

A cloud of white clouded Natsu’s vision. He coughed a couple times and looked down at his overcoat and saw that flour had covered most of his stomach area. He looked up to see (Y/N) smiling smugly as she held a small fistful of flour. 

“What do you think, Dragneel? A little more flour?” (Y/N) mischievously inquired.

“Oh it’s on,” Natsu hollered while grabbing a large amount of flour and throwing it at the (magic type) wizard. 

(Y/N) shrieked when her (F/C) shirt was covered in the flour. Natsu had snuck up behind her while she was distracted and grabbed her from behind before lifting her off her feet. 

“Natsu, put me down,” (Y/N) tried to sternly say over her laughter.

Natsu laughed as he carried her over to the couch before going to drop her next to Happy.

“Wait, Natsu! Please not the couch. I just--”

(Y/N) screamed as she was thrown on the couch. Happy had jumped out of the way just in time to miss being covered in flour.

“Natsu,” Happy whined, “you almost ruined my fish.”

“Natsu, you are so dead,” (Y/N) grumbled. “I just cleaned this couch!”

“And I just washed my clothes, but you ruined them,” Natsu pouted.

(Y/N) sighed and held up her hand for Natsu to help her up. Natsu smiled softly before grabbing her hand. Before he could pull her up, however, (Y/N) had yanked him down so he fell on the couch too. They looked at each other and started laughing hysterically. (Y/N) held Natsu’s face before giggling and pointing out that he had flour in his hair. She gently patted the flour out of his hair and rested her hand on his cheek. He mirrored her actions, holding her face in both his hands. 

“You look funny,” Natsu observed.

“You don’t look any better.”

“(Y/N)?”

“Hm?” 

Natsu placed his forehead on hers and continued to hold her as he spoke in a soft whisper.

“Can I have the first piece of cake?”


	4. Natsu x Reader: Stuck

It was a routine request for (Y/N) and Natsu. They were to retrieve a merchant who had gotten lost in Mount Hakobe. 

“I swear they said he was near here,” (Y/N) stated.

Happy and Natsu whined, saying that they had been looking for three hours already.

“It’s getting really cold, (Y/N). Can we take a break?”

“Happy, we need to keep moving. We’ll freeze if we stay in one spot for too long. Besides, we know where we’re going. We have the map.”

Natsu looked away sheepishly before confessing, “Yeah, about that...I kind of forgot it.”

“What?! How could you forget the map!”

“Natsu,” Happy scolded, “now we’re going to be stuck up here forever.”

“Don’t worry about that, Happy. It’s not even that cold here!”

“That’s because you’re a fire wizard,” (Y/N) reminded. “It’s very cold for the rest of us.”

The three continued to aimlessly wander the mountain before (Y/N) collapsed in exhaustion. 

“I can’t...walk anymore.”

“Come on, (Y/N). We’ll find the guy in no time. Then we can get back home and eat!”

“Yeah, we can eat fish!” Happy exclaimed.

The wind started to pick up, causing (Y/N) to shiver. Snow started whipping past the three. They could barely see through the thick snow in the air. 

“Great,” (Y/N) blurted, “now we have to fight a blizzard. What luck.”

Natsu started walking in a random direction and momentarily disappeared. (Y/N) panicked once she noticed that the fire wizard was nowhere to be seen. She started to call out for him, but she got no answer. Something grabbed her shoulder and she screamed. Her first thought was that it was a Vulcan, so she instinctively punched whatever was standing there in the gut.

“Ow! (Y/N), what was that for?” Natsu groaned. 

(Y/N) turned to see Natsu doubled over in pain. She rushed to him and apologized. Happy had fallen off Natsu’s head from the impact and was stuck in the snow. (Y/N) quickly helped to pull him out of the pile and dust the snow off him. 

“We checked out that direction,” Natsu explained as he pointed what seemed to be east. “There was nothing there except more snow.”

“But Natsu,” (Y/N) objected as she pointed in the opposite direction, “you came from that way.”

“No, I came from this way.”

“That way.”

“This way.”

“I’m telling you, Natsu. You came from that way!”

Happy decided to speak up as he pointed towards a third direction, “Actually, I’m pretty sure we came from this way.”

(Y/N) dropped down on the snow, sighing, “We’re going to be stuck here forever. I just want to take a nice bath.”

Natsu held out his hand for (Y/N) to take and proposed that they start walking in the only direction that the three of them didn’t point out. (Y/N) sighed before taking his hand and standing up. She continued to shiver as they slowly made their way through the blizzard. They still couldn’t see very far ahead of them, so they were basically walking blind through the thick snow. 

“Can you smell the guy at all?”

“There’s no scent that I can pick up on other than the cold air.”

(Y/N) groaned before stopping. She looked towards the sky and kicked some snow in frustration. 

“Natsu, (Y/N)! Look over there!”

The two wizards followed Happy’s finger over towards what looked to be a cave. They both looked at each other before smiling brightly and running towards the opening.

“This should protect us from the storm, right Happy?” Natsu asked.

“Aye, sir!”

(Y/N) stepped deep inside the cave and sat down. She let out a sigh of relief as she started to relax in the cave. Her ears perked up when she heard a rumbling noise.

“Uh, guys? Did you hear that?”

Before either of them could answer her, a huge avalanche rushed down the mountain and covered the opening of the cave. Once she realized what had happened, (Y/N) started crying. Natsu and Happy whipped their heads around at the sound of her sniffles. Natsu was immediately at her side asking what was wrong.

“We’re never gonna get out of here,” (Y/N) sobbed. “I’m so cold and tired and hungry. I want to go home, but we’re stuck in this stupid cave!”

Natsu sat down next to her and tried to calm her down, but her sobs were just as powerful as her shivers. Natsu noticed just how much she was shaking from the cold and sighed. 

“Come here,” he urged as he opened one of his arms, inviting her to lean into his side.

(Y/N) looked up at the dragon slayer confused.

“You’re cold, right? The cold doesn’t affect me because I’m a fire wizard, so I can keep you warm.”

(Y/N) nodded and settled into Natsu’s right side. They both wrapped their arms around each other in order to share as much heat as possible. (Y/N) sighed in content before giggling. Natsu looked at her before raising his eyebrow.

“You’re like my personal space heater.”

Natsu rolled his eyes as he playfully countered, “Is that all you date me for? Is my heat all that matters to you? How rude.”

(Y/N) giggled again before snuggling into his side and humming. Eventually her breathing slowed and when Natsu looked down at her, (Y/N) was asleep. 

“Jeez. You’re just gonna leave me here awake while you nap? That’s cruel.”

(Y/N) smiled in her sleep before mumbling a quiet “thank you” as she snuggled even closer.

“Yeah, yeah. You’re welcome.”


	5. Natsu x Reader: Insomnia

“Natsu, are you still awake?”

Natsu hummed as he shifted slightly. (Y/N) had placed her head on Natsu’s back and gripped the back of his shirt. Natsu eventually turned around to see that her face was twisting with pain.

“What’s wrong?” Natsu breathed.

“I can’t fall asleep.”

Natsu pulled his arm from under the blankets and held her head before gently stroking her hair. (Y/N) nestled closer into his chest and tightened her hold on his back. She could feel him stop moving his arm as his breathing slowed. (Y/N) sighed before closing her eyes and trying to sleep again, but nothing worked. She gently poked Natsu’s nose.

“Natsu?”

The dragon slayer groaned as he lazily opened his eyes and stared at the (H/C) girl. He wrapped the blankets around her and placed his head on top of hers. 

“Natsu--”

“Close your eyes,” Natsu whispered. “You gotta try to sleep.”

“But I can’t sleep.”

Natsu pulled her even closer and kissed her forehead. (Y/N) could tell that he had fallen asleep again and laid there, wide awake. She eventually unwrapped herself from her boyfriend and silently padded her way to the kitchen to make some tea. The wizard quietly sat at the table and slowly sipped her tea in hopes of it making her want to fall asleep. She finished her tea and let out a frustrated sigh when she didn’t feel any more tired. (Y/N) stood over the sink as she screwed her eyes shut in an attempt to force herself to want to sleep. She jumped when she felt something on her back.

“Shh. It’s just me,” Natsu softly spoke.

Natsu had hugged her from behind with his arms wrapped around her waist. He rested his head on her shoulder and started to carefully rock them as he kissed her cheek.

“Did I wake you?”

Natsu silently shook his head before turning her around and hugging her loosely. (Y/N) breathed lightly as they continued to sway. He led them to the couch where they quietly talked for a while. (Y/N) cuddled with the dragon slayer as they joked. She turned to the fire mage and told him that she was ready to sleep now. He grinned and joined her in the bed, instinctively wrapping his arm around her. (Y/N) seemed to immediately fall asleep, bringing a smile to Natsu’s face. He felt her breathing slow and looked down to see a small smile. He closed his eyes and tried falling asleep again, but he couldn’t seem to get to sleep.

“Great,” Natsu groaned. “Now I can’t sleep.”


	6. Natsu x Barista!Reader Cafe AU

“Hot chocolate for order number 7!”

Natsu’s ear perked up when he heard the number and fought the line to get over to the window. He flashed the order number to the barista and quickly took his drink before heading out the door. He pulled his scarf closer to his neck as he fought the cold. Once he took the first sip, his face twisted in disgust.

“What the hell did they put in this?”

He tried to fight through it so he wouldn’t have to go back, but he ended up turning around and making his way back to the cafe. The line had gone down quite a bit, so he was able to walk up to the counter and call someone over. A girl with (H/C) hair hopped over some cups and met Natsu at the counter.

“Can I help you?”

Natsu’s eyes had drifted off to the window, so his attention was on something else. 

“Sir? Can I help you?”

His gaze snapped over to the girl once he heard her call. He chuckled and apologized before holding up the drink.

“It doesn’t really taste right.”

The (H/C) girl grabbed the cup from Natsu and took off the lid before smelling it. She laughed before turning around to the other barista.

“Elena, you put coffee grinds in the hot chocolate.”

Elena squeaked out a quick “sorry!” before turning back to the drink she was working on.

“Sorry about that,” the girl apologized. “She just started yesterday so she’s still getting to know the machines and drink orders. I’ll make you a new one and meet you at the pick up window.”

Natsu nodded and stood by the window as he watched her work. He couldn’t seem to shake the weird feeling in his stomach. The barista drew his attention once again as she held out the drink to him. 

“I hope this one is a little better,” she joked. “I promise there’s no coffee in there.”

\--------------------------------------

It had been two weeks since that day and Natsu had been going to that cafe every day. He learned that the girl’s name was (Y/N) and that she worked there almost every day. 

“Let me guess,” (Y/N) laughed as she saw the salmon haired customer approach the register, “hot chocolate with no whip?”

Natsu sheepishly smiled and nodded before heading over to the pick up window. His drink was quickly delivered to him and he went over to sit down at his usual spot in the corner. (Y/N) eventually walked over to him once the line cleared and greeted him.

“So how’s everything at work? Get any new really interesting proposals?”

Natsu laughed loudly before assuring her that work was the same old boring job. 

“What about you? Any mean customers throwing drinks today?”

(Y/N) groaned, “Please don’t jinx it. My shirt still has that stain on it and I’ve washed it three times.”

She sat down on the chair opposite him, occasionally glancing over at the counter to check the lines. Natsu looked out the window by his table and watched the snow fall.

“Something really interesting has been happening lately,” (Y/N) spoke up.

Natsu turned to face the girl and asked her to continue.

“There’s been this guy that keeps coming in and I think he’s trying to ask me out, but he never does.”

A feeling of irritation twirled in his stomach as he questioned, “Is that so? Do you think you’d go out with him?”

“Hmm,” (Y/N) hummed as she looked back to the line, “I think I would. I’m not going to ask him though. He’s put way too much effort into coming here all the time.”

“How often does he come?”

“The other baristas tell me he’s here every day. He always orders the same thing, but I know he didn’t come here for the drink because he never finishes it.”

Natsu’s face flushed in realization as he looked up at (Y/N) with wide eyes. He was met with a smug smile before she winked and returned to the now busy counter.

“Wait!”

(Y/N) turned around and raised an eyebrow.

“Hypothetically,” Natsu started as he blushed, “would you go out with this guy if he asked?”

(Y/N) playfully held her chin in fake thought before replying, “If he asked the next time he came in, I don’t think I would have any reason to decline.”

And with that, (Y/N) hopped over the gate and continued to take orders.


	7. Dad!Natsu x Mom!Reader

“She has a fever.”

(Y/N) had left (C/N)’s room holding a thermometer. Natsu walked over to (Y/N) to check the temperature. He looked at the thermometer and saw that it was 100.9 degrees (Fahrenheit). 

“Does that number mean we have to rush her to the hospital?” Natsu worriedly asked.

(Y/N) soothed, “She’s not quite there yet, Natsu. Usually it’s 103 for the hospital.”

Natsu let out a breath before going into the bathroom and getting a towel.

“Uh, what are you doing?”

“I’m wrapping her in a towel so her fever goes down.”

“Natsu...I don’t think that’s how that works.”

“What are you talking about?” Natsu sassed. “You’re supposed to wrap someone in a wet towel to bring the body temperature down.”

(Y/N) started giggling at the frantic Natsu and corrected, “I think it’s only supposed to be on her head. Get a smaller towel and get it damp and then put it on her forehead.”

“Why would it just be on the forehead? That makes no sense!”

“Natsu--”

“If you put the wet towel around the whole body she will obviously cool down faster.”

(Y/N) started to argue with him again when she realized something and wondered, “Natus, are you sure that’ll reduce her fever at all? I think it’ll just cool her down.”

“Well then what the hell are we supposed to do!” 

“Daddy?”

Natsu and (Y/N) whipped their heads to the little girl that stood in the doorway to her room. 

“Hey sweetheart. Are you feeling any better?”

“I don’t feel good.”

Natsu crouched down to (C/N)’s height and gently pat her head. 

“Don’t worry sweetheart, you’ll get better soon.”

(C/N) started crying, causing (Y/N) and Natsu to panic.

“Hey,” (Y/N) softly spoke, “you’re going to be okay. You’ll feel better in a couple of days.”

“Mommy’s right,” Natsu assured. “And when you feel better we can go to that all-you-can-eat place in the center of town. How does that sound?”

The little girl seemed to calm down as she asked, “Can we stay as long as we want?”

“Not too long,” (Y/N) chided. “You both got really sick last time you went there from eating way too much.”

Natsu and (C/N) made eye contact before laughing quietly so that (Y/N) couldn’t hear them. Natsu gave his daughter a thumbs up before turning to (Y/N) and promising that they wouldn’t stay too long. 

(C/N) started to sniffle again, and (Y/N) and Natsu looked back to her sadly. They hated seeing their daughter like this. All they wanted was that she could have a happy and carefree life, so seeing her so miserable brought them sorrow. They looked at each other before (Y/N) squatted down next to Natsu and (C/N). Natsu took one of (C/N)’s hands and (Y/N) took the other. They both squeezed her hands gently and held them as they both stood up. They swung her arms slowly. (C/N) started to giggle at her parents’ silliness.

“Can I have some fish for dinner?” (C/N) suddenly asked. 

Natsu grinned and started, “I think that’s a--”

(Y/N) gave Natsu a small glare before he could finish. He let out a nervous chuckle.

“Actually, I think we better save fish for a day when you aren’t sick. Don’t you think?”

(C/N) looked down in disappointment before turning back to her father and asking, “Do you promise that we can have fish when I get better?”

“Definitely!”

Natsu and (C/N) laughed with each other while (Y/N) looked on fondly. 

“(C/N)?”

The little girl looked up at her mother curiously. 

“Why don’t you go try to get some sleep? We’ll be in there in a minute.”

“Daddy, are you coming too?”

“Of course! How could I skip out on tucking my little girl in?”

(C/N) smiled brightly before coughing. Natsu and (Y/N) asked her if she was okay and the girl smiled weakly. She turned to Natsu and held her hands up.

“Can you carry me?” (C/N) asked weakly. 

Natsu grinned at his daughter before scooping her up. He started lifting her in the air when he heard (Y/N) clear her throat.

“Don’t you think that tossing someone who has a fever is a bad idea?”

Natsu grinned sheepishly before holding the girl against her hip. 

“My bad.”

“Let’s go get you into bed, okay?” (Y/N) suggested. “You’ll feel better with a lot of rest.”

“Mommy?”

(Y/N) gave a small smile to show that she was listening.

“Can you and Daddy read me a bedtime story? I want to hear about the magic dragons again.”

They both smiled before ushering (C/N) into her room. She hopped on the bed and waited for her parents to come. Natsu and (Y/N) took either side of the comforter and dramatically tucked her in so tight that she couldn’t move. (C/N) started giggling at her parents before reminding them that they should read a story. After they got halfway through the story, (C/N) fell asleep. Her face was still flushed and they could see that she still felt horrible. Natsu gently held (Y/N)’s hand and tugged her out of the room.

“Are you sure we shouldn’t put the towel over her?”

(Y/N) thought for a moment before agreeing. Natsu rushed back to the bathroom before (Y/N) called out to him.

“Not the big one! We’re just getting her head.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been trying to decide if this is a modern setting or not, but I think it works either way. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed! Requests are still OPEN.


	8. Natsu x Dying!Reader

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's a longer one shot for you guys! Warning: some angst ahead.

Natsu noticed the small changes in (Y/N) over the last couple weeks. He had asked her if something was wrong countless times, but all she did was smile at him and tell him that she was fine. She would distance herself from him and their friends. She barely came to the guild anymore, and people were starting to worry. She would make up excuses to avoid going, ranging from the “I’m not feeling so well” to the “I just have a bad headache” and everything in between. She had even started to distance herself from him and Happy, which wasn’t like her at all. They would usually go fishing on the weekends and then go out to breakfast, but she canceled for the past three weekends and chose to stay at the house instead. 

“(Y/N), do you want to come food shopping with us?” Happy asked as he fastened his pouch on his back. “You can help pick out the best fish!”

“I’m sorry, Happy, but I don’t feel so well today. Maybe next time.”

Happy faced Natsu and gave him a weird look before going to grab his keys. Natsu stared at (Y/N), as if trying to read her. She gave no emotions away. She truly did look tired and ill, but she never said anything. 

“(Y/N),” Natsu softly started, “are you sure you don’t wanna come?”

The girl turned to him and gave him a small smile before shaking her head and turning back to the window. 

“I just don’t have the energy today.”

Natsu got an idea and shouted, “Are you sure? We can even get ice cream on the way!”

(Y/N) let out a small laugh, something that Natsu hadn’t heard in a long time. He grinned, thinking that her old self was coming back. Her laugh died down after a couple of seconds before she turned her head and gave another excuse.

“I’m not really hungry today. Make sure to eat one for me, okay?”

“Why don’t you want to come?” Natsu asked sternly.

(Y/N) was silent for a minute before looking at him with what looked like a confused face. 

“I already told you, Natsu. I don’t feel well today.”

Natsu huffed, “You’ve been saying that for three weeks now. Don’t you think you should use another excuse at this point?”

(Y/N)’s gaze drifted to the floor before she insisted, “But Natsu, I really don’t feel we--”

“And the guild hasn’t seen you in forever,” Natsu continued. “They’re starting to worry, too. Everyone keeps asking about you and when you’re coming back. You’re even pushing Happy away.”

(Y/N) looked out the window to see that the noon sun was high. She kept her gaze on the surrounding trees before she sighed and stood up. 

“I don’t have that much energy, but I’ll agree to come if we make it quick.”

Natsu grinned and went to hold her hand to drag her out of the house before she changed her mind, but (Y/N) pulled away in time to avoid him taking her hand. Natsu looked at her confused before sighing and calling Happy so they could leave. They walked towards the center of town where the food market was. (Y/N) and Happy went over to the fish stand to pick out the best ones while Natsu gathered the different meats and produce. They all met near the bread stand and started home. Natsu could sense that something was still wrong, but he was just happy that she was finally going somewhere. They all continued their walk to the house when (Y/N) could feel her grip on the bags start to falter. 

She softly spoke, giving the vague truth, “Hey Natsu, do you mind carrying these the rest of the way? My arms are tired.” 

Natsu nodded before taking the bags from her and hoisting them all up. Once they were home, (Y/N) went back to the window and stared at the trees. Happy and Natsu had put away all the food and asked (Y/N) if she wanted to head to the guild next. (Y/N) gave a weak smile before trying to give one of her excuses, but she was met with the sight of Natsu and Happy crossing their arms. 

“Please?” Happy pleaded. “Everyone misses you so much.”

Natsu approached (Y/N) and sat down next to her, trying to take her hand. (Y/N) casually pulled her hand away and put it under the blankets. 

“Listen, I don’t want to push you, but everyone is really worried about you.”

“I’m just--”

“I’m really worried about you,” Natsu emphasized as he looked deep into her eyes. 

(Y/N) could feel the heat radiating off the fire wizard’s form. It always brought her comfort, but this time it caused her to become sad. Natsu saw her faltering smile and placed his hand on her cheek. She flinched slightly at the touch before looking away. 

“(Y/N), what’s wrong?”

She turned back to him and smiled before giving him a quick kiss and standing up.

“I guess I can go today. I haven’t seen them in a long time.”

Natsu looked at her carefully before giving a soft smile and standing up as well. They had quickly made their way to the Fairy Tail guildhall, Natsu loudly opening the doors and announcing his presence. 

“Nobody cares, Flamebrain.”

“Yeah well I brought someone, so you should care, Ice Princess.”

Everyone looked behind Natsu to see that (Y/N) was silently standing there. They all broke out in smiles and rushed over to her.

“It’s been so long since we’ve seen you!” Lucy yelled in excitement.

“Where have you been?” Gray asked. 

“Are you feeling any better?” Erza inquired.

“Um, I’m just not feeling that well. I’ve been trying to gather energy, but I just can’t seem to.”

Wendy came over with Charle and gasped when she saw (Y/N). She quickly repeated the same questions and smiled before saying that she missed her a lot. (Y/N) beamed as she looked at all her friends. She started to laugh and joke with the others, acting how she had always been. She went to get a drink from Mira when she suddenly felt a wave of light-headedness wash over her. She stumbled before she fell to her knees. Natsu was over to her side in a second.

“Are you okay? What happened? Did you hurt--”

“I’m okay, Natsu. I just felt a little dizzy,” (Y/N) assured.

Natsu helped her up before walking her the rest of the way to the bar. He eyed her carefully before walking away, making sure to keep a close eye on her. She chatted with Mira for a couple minutes and sipped her drink as she looked to all her friends. She suddenly felt another wave of pain and she started to cough violently. Everyone looked around to see where the sound was coming from when they all landed on (Y/N). Natsu quickly stood up from his table and ran over to her. Her coughs weren’t subsiding, and Natsu could see that there was blood on the counter. 

“Wendy!”

Wendy rushed over to where (Y/N) was sitting and gasped when she saw the blood. She quickly activated her healing magic and put her hands over (Y/N)’s head. (Y/N) grimaced, her face twisting in pain. She forced herself to open her eyes, but they quickly closed again when she passed out and slipped off her chair, Natsu barely catching her. He ran her to the infirmary and begged Porlyusica to help her. Porlyusica pushed Natsu out of the room as she examined (Y/N). After a while, Porlyusica opened the door and invited Natsu back inside. 

“She seems to have something to tell you, boy. And she insisted she tell you before I do.”

“What could she possibly…”

Natsu sat down beside (Y/N)’s infirmary bed and held her hands in his. He laced their fingers together before rubbing her hand with his thumb.

“Natsu?” (Y/N) asked weakly.

“Hey,” he breathed, “what happened? Porlyusica said that you needed to tell me something.”

“Natsu...I never wanted to cause you any worry or pain.”

“What are you talking about?”

(Y/N) squeezed both his hands tightly as she said the words that made his whole world crash down.

“I’m dying, Natsu.”

He couldn’t think. He couldn’t see or hear or smell. He could barely breathe. He refused to believe what he had just heard.

“W...What?”

“When I was born, a wizard put a curse on my family. I’m supposed to die when I turn twenty, but--”

“Well your birthday isn’t for another couple months. I’m sure we can find a way to--”

“Natsu.”

He couldn’t think straight as he tried to think of every possible loophole that would make her healthy and safe again. 

“Natsu, the same wizard found me on my last job request and decided to quicken the process. She said that I would die in three weeks.”

Natsu’s heart was pounding in his head as he spoke, full of fear, “But your last job was…”

“Three weeks ago,” (Y/N) finished. 

Natsu’s blood boiled as he yelled, “Why didn’t you tell me!”

“Natsu…”

“I could’ve helped you do something. We could’ve--”

“Natsu, there’s nothing you could’ve done. I didn’t tell you so that you wouldn’t have to be sad for so long. I never thought I would meet someone like you. I knew as soon as I met you that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with you, even if it was only for three more years. I never wanted someone to have to mourn my life, but I just couldn’t help but love you, and I was so happy when you said that you felt the same way.”

“Stop talking like that. We’ll find a way.”

“Natsu, please. Don’t torture yourself.”

Natsu’s tears couldn’t be held back anymore. His vision completely blurred. (Y/N) gently held his head in her hands and pressed her forehead to his. 

“I…”

(Y/N) leaned in to kiss him, silencing him for a minute. She could feel the desperation and panic that he felt. 

“I love you, Natsu.”

“This has to be some sort of nightmare, right? I’ll wake up and you’ll still be asleep tucked into me. And then we’ll go fishing with Happy and order fish and eggs for breakfast before--”

“Natsu, please don’t do that to yourself.”

(Y/N) could feel herself start to lose her strength, and keeping her eyes open was getting harder by the second. She felt a chill through her bones. 

“I was...please don’t...I was gonna…”

“Natsu?”

He slowly reached behind him and pulled something out of his pocket. 

“I was planning...to ask you something.”

(Y/N) took one look at the small box that Natsu held before she started to shake.

“Natsu, I…”

Natsu gave a weak smile before getting down on one knee by the bed.

“(Y/N) (L/N), will you marry me?”

They both started crying before (Y/N) started to cough up blood again. She struggled to breathe and her vision started to fade. She managed to nod her head, answering the question. She could feel Natsu’s hands hold hers again, but she couldn’t see.

“Natsu...I’m scared.”

She could barely feel his hands tighten on hers. He leaned in and whispered to her.

“I promise you,” he spoke through his tears, “that I will love you until your last second. And then I will continue to love you after.”

Her vision went completely black and she felt weightless. She couldn’t hear anything anymore. She couldn’t feel anymore. And finally, she couldn’t breathe anymore. 

Everyone in the guild could hear Natsu’s screams from the infirmary.


	9. Natsu x Suicidal!Reader

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, just want to warn you that this is about a suicidal reader, so prepare if necessary. It's not graphic, but it does have some implications.
> 
> Also, (N/N) means nickname. Enjoy!

(Y/N) stared at the reflection of the moon on the river as she played with the ends of her shirt. She sat with her knees tucked in. The wind, the light, the grass, the overwhelming urge to die. Those were the only things she could tell were there. 

“I guess it doesn’t matter anymore,” she whispered to herself.

“What doesn’t?”

(Y/N) jumped at the sudden voice and turned around, ready to fight off whoever snuck up on her. When she jumped up and faced the person, she saw that it was Natsu and Happy. She let out a breath before turning back around. 

Natsu pressed, “What are you talking about?”

“Nothing important.”

There was silence between them. (Y/N) could still feel him behind her, so she asked him why he stayed.

“You seem like you need company. Besides,” Natsu grinned as he pointed to Happy, “I promised Happy that we could go fishing!”

(Y/N) looked at the pair with a questioning look before saying, “But it’s night.”

Natsu and Happy looked at each other before looking up to the moon and groaning. (Y/N) couldn’t help but giggle.

“How did you guys not know it was dark out?”

“We were in the guildhall all day so we just assumed it was still light out.”

(Y/N) smiled before it faded into a deep frown. She turned away from the pair again and held her knees. Natsu and Happy stood behind her for a minute. Natsu’s nose twitched, and he discretely told Happy to go back to the house. Natsu approached (Y/N) again and put his hand gently on her shoulder. 

“Well?”

(Y/N) scanned his facial expression before shrugging her shoulders and staring at the river. Her eyes drift down the stream and saw that there were a couple of boats in the harbor. She swallowed hard once she realized that Natsu wasn’t leaving yet. 

“Well what?”

“Where’re you hurt?”

(Y/N) shook in fear as she tried to brush it off. 

“I’m not hurt.”

“I smell blood,” Natsu persisted.

(Y/N) smoothly replied, “I have my period.”

Natsu looked at her, seeming to be staring her down. He moved closer to her until he stood right next to her. His hand never left her shoulder. In fact, it seemed to tighten slightly.

“Natsu? Are you oka--”

“I don’t know how you feel because I’ve never been there, and I’m not going to spew all the typical bullshit that people say.”

(Y/N) looked up at him in shock, eyes widening in realization. She started to wave her arms in front of her as she assured him that she was okay.

“Don’t worry, Natsu! Nothing like that is--”

She was interrupted when Natsu suddenly and quickly pulled up her sleeves. She gasped once she felt the night breeze on her arms and instinctively went to pull her sleeves back down. He eyed her arms before boring his eyes into hers. 

“Um, Natsu, I don’t--”

The dragon slayer sat down next to her and stared out at the river. He seemed to be deep in thought, and he refused to look at her. (Y/N) sighed before holding her knees again and burying her head in them. 

“You know,” Natsu finally spoke, “I lost someone very close to me.”

“Igneel?”

Natsu gave a sad smile and corrected, “Yeah him too. But I lost someone else. She was part of the guild when I was younger, but she was killed on a request.”

(Y/N) listened intently to his words before she tried to speak, “Natsu--”

“I miss her everyday. And all I could think about was how I could’ve helped. So that’s why,” Natsu turned to her with a fire in his eyes, “I want to make sure that doesn’t happen again.”

(Y/N) stayed silent as she processed what he said. She sniffled quietly before turning her head away from him.

“Don’t you ever wish that you could just...disappear?”

“Is that how you feel? That ending it would make things better?”

(Y/N) slowly nodded before she saw that his eyes narrowed. She prepared for the typical lecture when he surprised her by laying down so that his hands were behind his head. 

“Well what am I supposed to do on my Sunday mornings if you’re not there to make breakfast? Does that mean you’d force me to cook myself? That’s harsh, (N/N).”

(Y/N) couldn’t help but smile at his carefree behavior and laughed lightly. She felt a small tug on her sleeve, and she flinched away thinking that he was going to pull it up again. He chuckled before explaining that she should lay down. (Y/N) reluctantly complied. She felt his hand grab hers and squeeze it lightly. 

“Just make sure you know that I will annoy you if you die. I’ll reverse haunt you.”

“Natsu,” (Y/N) spoke through her laughter, “that makes no sense.”

“Of course it does. I’ll bind your ghost to my house and make you smell it. I know how much you love the smell of fish.”

(Y/N)’s face twisted in disgust before defending, “I don’t necessarily hate fish. I have a taste aversion because we had that eating contest. It’s completely different.” 

They fell silent again before Natsu could hear the continuation of her small sniffles. He tilted his head so he could look at her and frowned when he saw her tears. He sat up and helped her sit up as well. 

“Now,” Natsu started, “I’m taking you to that dessert shop you like so much.”

“Natsu, I don’t really feel like being in pub--”

“No complaining!” Natsu playfully scolded. 

(Y/N) silently thanked him as they ate an entire cake. Well, Natsu ate most of it, but (Y/N) was able to get two slices. They exited the shop and stood outside, taking in the night breeze. She waved her goodbyes and went to walk away, but Natsu grabbed her wrist before she could leave. (Y/N) looked at him confused.

“Natsu, what are you--”

“Impromptu sleepover. Isn’t that great?”

“Uh, why?”

“Because I don’t like that look in your eye.”

He took both her hands and looked into her eyes. 

“I will be here. I will be by your side. So you have to promise that you’ll stay here so I can be.”

(Y/N) quickly hugged Natsu, holding on tightly. Natsu returned the hug and rested his head on hers. They stayed like that for a minute before (Y/N) pulled away. She looked around and saw that a couple people were staring at them, making her blush a deep scarlet. Natsu looked at her curiously before he noticed the stares. He shrugged and looked at her embarrassed face.

“What?” Natsu innocently asked. 

“I just, people are staring.”

“So?”

“Well people might think that--”

“Who cares?”

(Y/N) looked uncomfortable before she said, “I mean, I just don’t want you to have to--”

“Besides,” Natsu said as he grinned and started to lead her to his house, “would it really be so bad if we were?”

(Y/N)’s face flushed again before she gave a nervous smile and continued to follow him.


	10. Natsu x Reader: Heat

(Y/N) sat in bed, cursing at the sweat that was dripping from her forehead. She felt clammy and couldn’t take her mind off the immense heat. She tried to get up from the bed to wash her face with cold water, but an arm stopped her. She groaned as she looked at the sleeping dragon slayer. 

“How on earth does he sleep like this?” (Y/N) muttered before gently removing his arm from her waist and making her way to the bathroom. 

She splashed water on her face and used a wet towel to wipe down her body. She leaned over the sink and sighed. She made her way over to the window and opened it, letting in the light summer breeze. 

“God it’s so hot,” (Y/N) complained to herself. 

After a few minutes, she returned to the bed and laid down so that she was far away from the dragon slayer. She started to fall asleep when she felt Natsu pull her close again. She huffed and tried to ignore the heat, but nothing worked. She started to become frustrated and eventually got out of bed again. She grabbed a pillow and placed it on the couch before flopping down and drifting off. 

(Y/N) kept waking up from various nightmares, and she was soon reminded why she always slept next to Natsu. She sighed before concluding that she could either stay on the couch and deal with constant nightmares or go back to the bed and deal with the formidable heat. She reluctantly picked up her pillow and trudged back to the bed. 

“(Y/N), what’re you doing?” Natsu groggily asked as he felt the bed dip for the second time. 

“It’s too hot.”

“So sleep without the blankets on,” Natsu chuckled.

She turned to face him fully and gave him a stern look. 

“The blankets aren’t what’s making it hot. It’s _you_.”

“Me? What are you talking about?”

“You’re too hot!” (Y/N) exclaimed. “You emit so much heat that it’s making me sweat!”

Natsu laughed before sitting up on the bed. He moved so he was sitting next to her and caressed her cheek.

“You know,” Natsu whispered, “you’re adorable when you’re flustered.”

“I’m hot and tired, Natsu. Why can’t you be cooler?”

“Because I’m a fire mage?”

“We need a cooling lacrima or something. I can’t sleep like this in the middle of a heat wave.”

Natsu snuggled his head into her neck and wrapped an arm around her. (Y/N) sighed, content. That only lasted a few seconds before the heat transferred to her and she whined and pulled away. 

“Natsu!”


	11. Natsu x Betrayed!Reader

(Y/N) heard the door unlock and jumped up from her seat. She could hear Natsu and Happy enter into the living room, both of them making light chatter. 

(Y/N) rushed to where the dragon slayer was and started shouting, “Natsu, I can’t believe you would do something like this! How could you?”

“Uh oh, Natsu,” Happy started, “what did you do?”

He looked at the angry woman and back to Happy, answering, “I don’t kno--”

“Don’t you even _dare_ try to act innocent.”

“(Y/N), maybe you should--”

“Don’t tell me to calm down!”

“Natsu, I’m leaving so you and (Y/N) can argue it out. Call me when it’s over.”

“Wait, buddy don’t leave me here--”

“Now you’re going to hide behind Happy? How low can you go?”

“Listen, (Y/N) I think we just need to talk about--”

“You think? You _think_?”

Natsu paled, realizing that she wasn’t going to calm down anytime soon. He slowly walked towards the (H/C) girl. He went to touch her arm when she angrily pulled away.

“Don’t touch me,” (Y/N) seethed. 

“This is all a misunderstanding.”

“Misunderstanding? Well then I guess you wouldn’t mind explaining yourself?”

“I love you so much, first off.”

“That’s not an explanation and you know it.”

“I just let my emotions get the best of me. I swear, it won’t happen again.”

“We all know that once you do it one time, there’s no changing your habits.”

“It was a mistake. I’m so sorry. I never meant to hurt you--”

“Bullshit! You knew exactly what you wanted. Even so, it wasn’t just one mistake.”

“(Y/N)--”

“First, you decided to come into our house. Then you decided it would be a good idea to open the fridge, look around at all the other food and your eyes landed on my apple pie. Next, you decided to take the pie out of the fridge, grab a fork and _eat it_.”

“I won’t do it ever again. I promise.”

“Don’t promise something you can’t hold yourself to. You’ve done this so many times. All I was looking forward to today was that last slice of pie. I got so beat up on the last request I took and that was the thing that kept me going.”

“You were motivated by a slice of pie?” Natsu asked through his laughter.

“Don’t laugh at me! You and Happy are the same way with fish.”

Natsu continued to get closer to (Y/N) and eventually pulled her into a soft embrace. He placed his hands on her waist and placed his head next to her ear. (Y/N) subconsciously let out a contented breath. She caught herself and huffed before trying to pull away. Natsu hummed before whispering into her ear.

“I love you so much, and because I do I promise to get you another pie.”

(Y/N) slowly brought her arms around his back and leaned her head against his chest. 

“You better not eat this one or else I’m kicking you out.”

Natsu chuckled loudly and held her at an arm’s length. 

“We both know it’s probably going to happen again.”

“Then you can crash at Lucy’s because you’re not going to be sleeping here!”


	12. Natsu x Reader: Making the Bed (slight Modern AU)

“The sheets go this way, Natsu.”

“No, they obviously go this way.”

(Y/N) raised an eyebrow at Natsu as she watched him struggle with the sheets. She let go of the fitted sheet that they were both holding, causing the part she was holding to snap back at him.

“What’re you doing? We’re supposed to be making the bed!” Natsu shouted.

“Natsu, you’re holding it wrong. It’s not going to work.”

“You’re the one holding it the wrong way. See?” Natsu stretched the sheet across the bed and hooked it on one of the corners and continued, “It fits perfectly.”

(Y/N) looked to Natsu who was standing smug and proud. She smiled at his childish demeanor before pointing for him to do the opposite corner. Natsu easily hooked that corner.

“Okay, now try the other ones.”

Natsu shrugged and hooked the third corner. He turned to the last one and tried his hardest to stretch it to the corner, but it was too short. He pulled as tight as he could, but it refused to fit. Natsu sighed before letting go of the sheet and having it pop off all the corners. He held his hands up as he faced (Y/N).

“Alright, I was wrong. I admit it.”

“Told you.”

Natsu muttered, “Why can’t they just make beds square? It would be so much easier.”

(Y/N) laughed at him before picking up the fitted sheet and holding one end out to him. She turned it so that he was holding it correctly and helped him stretch it over the bed. 

“This is the wrong way,” Natsu pointed out.

“Natsu,” (Y/N) giggled, “this is the right way. I promise.”

“No way,” Natsu pressed. “This is the way I just tried.”

“Tell you what, if this doesn’t fit correctly then I’ll take you out for dinner.”

Natsu turned to (Y/N) and gave an enthusiastic grin before quickly agreeing. 

“But,” (Y/N) continued, “if this fit, you have to clean the bathroom.”

Natsu’s smile faltered before he puffed out his chest, saying, “Don’t worry. I know the best place to eat.”

(Y/N) asked him to hook his corners before she did the third one. The both looked at each other before (Y/N) dramatically stretched the fourth corner to its place, easily hooking it in place. Natsu’s face dropped as a smug grin appeared on (Y/N)’s face. 

“So, what would you like to clean first? Bathtub or toilet?”

Natsu let out a loud groan and hung his head in defeat.

“Tell you what,” (Y/N) started while smiling, “if you clean the bathroom, we can go out for dinner tomorrow night.”

Natsu’s ears perked up and a large smile resurfaced. 

\-----------------------------------------

“How does a shower get so dirty?” Natsu moaned. “We just wash ourselves. How much dirt could we possibly have?”

“Well considering you’re a mechanic and you have grease, oil and dirt on you at all times of the day, I would say that there’s quite a lot.”

“This is stupid. We should totally think about hiring someone.”

“Are you crazy? We can’t afford that. Keep dreaming, honey.”

Natsu smiled before standing up and scooping (Y/N) off her feet. He spun her around a couple times.

“Natsu! What are you doing?”

He put her down and held her cheeks before smiling wide. (Y/N) met his eyes and shared his smile. 

“We’ll be rich someday. And then I’ll buy you the biggest house and the most expensive car and I’ll take you out on all sorts of dates.”

(Y/N) laughed and hugged him tight, saying, “And I’ll make sure that house has a nice big garage for all your tools.”

Natsu gently kissed her before spinning her around again. He held onto her waist and kissed her cheek.

“I love you so much. I have no idea how to tell you that to accurately say it.”

“Let’s start with you cleaning the bathroom,” (Y/N) smoothly replied. 

“Damn,” Natsu mumbled. “I thought that might work.”

“Oh, and by the way,” (Y/N) continued, “I love you too.”


	13. 10 Ways He Says He Loves You

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Hey guys! In this one shot, (F/F) means favorite flower. Enjoy!

Natsu was oblivious when it came to love, but when he met you he started to wonder. He was captivated by your (H/C) hair, the way it smelled. Your (E/C) eyes and how they shined. Lucy had caught on and urged him to talk to you, and months after you started dating, he decided to tell you that he loved you. Except for one thing - he couldn’t really put it into words. So he told you in these ways.

1:  
When you go to the food market with him and Happy, you all always end up buying more than you can carry, whether it’s ten pounds of fish or countless loaves of bread on top of all the regular groceries. Happy could only carry so much with his little paws, so it was always up to you and Natsu to lug the heavier bags. Living far out seemed like a good idea when Natsu found the house to live, but he quickly found that it was a slight inconvenience to be so far away from everything, especially since you had made him eat in and cook more after you moved in instead of always going out to eat. He would see you struggling with all the bags you had to carry and smile as he scooped a couple extra bags for him to carry and lighten your load.

“Natsu, I can handle it.”

“But why should you have to when I have an open arm?” 

2:  
You never told anyone this, but you suffered from recurring nightmares. The first time he knew about it was the first night you stayed over. You would cry and shake in your sleep while tossing in bed. He turns around so he faces you and gently shakes you awake and strokes your hair or rubs your back until you calmed down. 

“Natsu?”

He would simply pull you closer and hold you before whispering softly, “Don’t worry. I’m here.”

3:  
Cold winter nights were relaxing for you. You would insist on sitting out behind the house and looking at the snow. Despite Natsu’s warnings about catching a cold, you sat out there every night. He would look out the window at you and sigh. You would start to shiver, but you refused to come in until you were out there for at least an hour. He slowly made his way outside and over to you, his feet making crunching noises as he stepped on the snow. He would draw your attention by coughing and hand you a cup of hot chocolate before sitting down next to you. You would gladly take it and happily sip at the drink, taking in the warmth of the mug on an otherwise cold evening. 

“Find anything interesting?” Nastu would joke.

You would smile and laugh a little before looking back up to the sky. You would feel a small weight on your shoulders and look down to see that Natsu’s scarf now rested around your neck. 

“Natsu, but this is--”

“You looked cold.”

4:  
It was a sure way to get you to cheer up when you were having a bad day. All he had to do was tickle your sides and a smile broke out on your face as you struggled to stop him. Whether you were aggravated from something that happened at the guild or frustrated from a tough job, Natsu’s tickles always made your heart tingle. A tickle fight would develop, you aiming under his arms and by his feet. You two would eventually fall off the couch and land on the floor with Natsu pinning your arms down.

“Natsu,” you would laugh as you struggled, “let me go.”

Natsu would just grin devilishly at you before he continued to tickle you until you felt like you were going to die by laughter. 

5:  
He hates to see you injured, so when you come back from a job covered in bruises, his blood boils. He stays by your side for the next couple days and becomes overly protective. You would assure him that you were fine, but that would only ease him a little. When you were alone, he would kiss your bruises and vow to stay by your side until they went away. 

6:  
The holiday season was always difficult for both you and Natsu. He was reminded of Igneel and his disappearance. You were reminded of your family and how they weren’t there with you. So, every holiday Natsu would take you to Akane Beach, no matter the weather. Winter holidays would be spent at the lodge near the beach, and warmer days would include playing in the sand and watching the fish. He would look over at you, see your wide smile, and grab your hand before squeezing it gently. You were his family now, and he wouldn’t let you go.

7:  
People would assume that Natsu couldn’t dance, including you. So when he spontaneously asked you to dance in the middle of the kitchen, you were more than surprised. You asked him what brought it on, and he would just shrug before grabbing your hands and bringing you close. You would slowly sway in the dim kitchen and rest your head on his chest. He would kiss the top of your head and chuckle when he felt you step on his feet. You would apologize every time, but he didn’t mind. 

8:  
Whenever you would become irritated with the world around you, Natsu would make sure to have you talk about it. He didn’t mind sitting there and listening to you rant. In fact, he loved knowing that you trusted him enough to share your frustration with him. He would watch your wild eyes and waving hands and take it all in. 

9:  
Natsu loved looking at you smile, so he would always tell you the silliest jokes just to see your face light up. It’s not like he really needed to try any extra; you would smile at all his antics at the guildhall and laugh whenever he would get “all fired up” when starting a full out brawl. He would tell you jokes whenever he had the chance, and you appreciated his persistence. 

10:  
He knew that it was time. He needed to tell you in words. So he asked Lucy and Happy to help him set up a special day. When you came into the house, there were fairy lights hung from the ceiling and (F/F) scattered all around the floor. You looked around in wonder before your eyes landed on a nervous looking dragon slayer. You walked over to him and stood close to him. 

“What’s all this?”

“Oh, uh, well,” Natsu started as his eyes drifted to the ceiling, “you look great.”

You looked down at your usual clothes and raised an eyebrow at him.

“What’s going on, Natsu?” 

He sighed and held your cheek, looking into your eyes with a nervous glint. You smiled up at him just before he brought his lips to your forehead. You closed your eyes as you took in the feeling. He chuckled, signalling he saw. You slowly opened your eyes and smiled at him, earning a lopsided grin from him. 

“I just wanted to say something to you,” Natsu started again.

“Oh?”

Natsu looked over to the window to see Lucy standing there giving him a thumbs up. He took in a deep breath before looking at you and rubbing your cheek with his thumb. 

He let out a soft whisper, “I love you.”

You simply giggled and mirrored his actions. 

“I know. And I love you, too.”


	14. Natsu x Reader: Lost

You stepped off the train in Magnolia, taking in the sights of the town with sparkling eyes. A small map was held in your hands as you looked around. You had made it to the center of town when a strong gust of wind struck you and ripped the map out of your hands. You started to chase after it, but it was soon lost in the crowds. 

“Oh man. Now what am I supposed to do?” 

You groaned as you started to wander aimlessly trying to find your destination. Eventually you had come to terms with the fact that you were hopelessly lost. You turned a corner and walked into someone, causing you both to collide. You fell to the ground and rubbed your shoulder. 

“Sorry about that,” a voice apologized. 

You looked up to see a man with pink hair and an overcoat. He had a big grin on his face as he helped you up. You looked up at him and couldn’t help but return his smile.

“I haven’t seen you around here before.”

You looked away shyly before admitting that it was your first time in Magnolia. He nodded and went to say goodbye after apologizing again. You looked at his retreating figure before you called out.

“Excuse me, but I’m really lost. Could you help me out?”

He stopped walking and looked over his shoulder before turning back around to face you.

“Sure,” he replied, chipper. “Where do you need to go?”

“I was hoping you could help me find the Fairy Tail guildhall.”

“Fairy Tail? Why do you wanna go there?” Natsu questioned. 

“I’m visiting.”

Natsu shrugged before motioning for you to follow him. You started walking in the complete opposite direction than where you were going, causing you to sigh in frustration. 

“I’m Natsu by the way.”

“Natsu? As in Natsu the Salamander? Of Fairy Tail?”

“Oh? Are you a fan?” Natsu joked as his grin appeared again. 

You giggled before waving it off and responding, “I’ve just heard a lot about you and your...destructive nature.”

Natsu hung his head in defeat before mumbling something incoherent. You both stopped in front of the guildhall, your eyes shining brightly. You took in a sharp breath as he began to open the doors. Natsu looked at you and raised his eyebrow.

“What’s the matter?”

“It’s just...it’s _Fairy Tail_. Who knows what’s behind that door?”

You both heard yelling and something slamming against the wall, causing Natsu to laugh loudly.

“I think it’s just a normal day. No need to worry.”

“That’s _normal_?”

“Well? Come on!”

Natsu opened the doors and was immediately greeted by a table flying at him. His fire engulfed his fist and he punched the table, breaking it in half. 

“Who threw that?! You almost hurt...uh,” he drifted off before turning to you. “Uh, what’s your name?”

You spoke as you laughed, “It’s (Y/N).”

“You hear that? You almost hurt (Y/N)! How would you feel if you injured a visitor?”

“You’re one to talk, Flamebrain.”

“What did you just call me?!”

Natsu immediately joined the brawl, causing you to sweatdrop. You scooted along the wall and made it to the bar. You were greeted by a woman with white hair.

“Well hello there. I’m assuming you’re the visitor then?”

You nodded at Mira and looked around, asking, “Um, do you know where Makarov Dreyar is? I was asked to come see him.”

“Of course!” Mira happily replied before disappearing to go get him. 

Mira had returned with the master a few minutes later. You stood up on instinct and held out your hand to greet him before bowing. Makarov sweatdropped before asking her to stand up straight again. 

“I’m assuming your (F/N) (L/N) then? I’ve been expecting you.”

“Yes, sir!” You replied stiffly. 

He smiled before coughing loudly to gain the attention from the guild members. 

“Everyone listen up! We have a new member joining today.”

“Hell yeah! That means I can fight him. I’m all fired up now!” Natsu shouted. 

Everyone groaned at Natsu before looking towards the bar. They saw a girl with (H/C) hair and (E/C) eyes. Natsu’s eyes widened as he looked at the familiar girl. 

“You’re the new guy?!”

“Sorry, Natsu. I guess I should’ve mentioned that bef--”

“Fight me!”

Everyone looked at Natsu with bored expressions, showing you that this was the norm for the guild. 

“Um, Natsu, I don’t really want to--”

“You better fight him now or he’ll never leave you alone. Think of it like an initiation or something.”

You turned to a man with raven hair and became flustered as you spoke, “Why...aren’t you wearing a shirt?”

“Oh shit!”

Natsu jumped in front of you and demanded that you fight him again. You sighed before agreeing and walking towards the center of the guildhall. You both got into fighting positions, Natsu’s fists starting to burn with flames. You stayed still as he lunged at you. In one swift motion, you grabbed his arm and whipped him down to the ground. He landed with a loud “thump” and winced. 

“Well look at that,” Gray snickered, “there’s another person who can knock him down in one shot.”

“Natsu,” you started, looking at him concerned as you crouched down to his level, “are you alright?”

Natsu hissed as he sat up before giving you a grin and assuring, “That was nothing! I was just testing your magic.”

“I don’t really wish to fight you again, Natsu. I don’t like hurting my teammates.”

You smiled at him and helped him up. You then returned to the bar to approach the master. 

“Master Makarov, what would you like me to do?”

Makarov laughed loudly, “We don’t have many rules about what you have to do. You can go on jobs that you’re approved of. I would suggest finding a place to live first. You’re free to stay in the dorms.”

You nodded before introducing yourself to your new guildmates. A brawl broke out again, everyone screaming and hollering. Another table came flying at you. You turned around and broke the table with your fist. You huffed before joining the fight. 

_I guess I can stay here._


	15. Sad!Natsu x Reader

Natsu’s been acting weird lately, and you were starting to worry. He would distance himself from his friends and start picking fights more often. He was currently fighting Elfman, and you had enough of it, so you walked in the middle of them and held Natsu’s ears. The fire that was surrounding his fist immediately went out as he started to wince from the pain in his ear. You kicked Elfman in the stomach, sending him flying across the hall, and turned to Natsu and punched him in the gut. He groaned as he fell to the floor on his knees, cradling his stomach. 

“Now,” you started with a stern voice, “do you mind telling me what’s going on?”

Natsu continued to moan in pain, so he didn’t answer you. You sighed and crouched down to his level and grabbed his arm gently. You raised an eyebrow at him as he looked up at you with a bored expression. He huffed before picking himself back up and walking over to Mira at the bar.

You turned to Team Natsu and asked, “Do any of you know what’s wrong?”

“Other than the usual fighting between Gray and Natsu, nothing really happened,” Lucy responded as she shrugged.

“I do find it quite peculiar,” Erza observed. “He did start acting pretty strange on our way back to Magnolia.”

You looked over at Natsu as he sat and angrily ate his food that Mira had given him. It was weird for you; you had never, ever seen Natsu angry enough to ignore you like that. Sure, you’ve seen him start fights, but that was normal. Your eyes were clouded with concern. 

“Has he said anything?” 

Gray scoffed before replying, “Just his usual annoying antics.”

You made your way over to the bar and sat a couple chairs away from Natsu. You ordered some food and you both ate in silence. You would look over at him occasionally, but he was just stuffing his face with a scowl on his face. You looked at Mira and saw that she had a solemn look on her face. Your eyebrows knitted together before looking back to Natsu. You took in a deep breath and prepared for the worst as you took a guess.

“...Lisanna?”

Mira and Natsu jolted. You hopped off your chair and went to sit down on the chair next to Natsu. You put your hand on top of his, making him flinch slightly. 

“Come on,” you urged. 

Natsu turned around and went to snap when he saw your wet eyes. He froze before reluctantly following her to Lisanna’s grave. 

“We all used to come out here all the time,” you started.

Natsu continued to remain silent. You led him to the hut that the three of you shared and dragged him inside.

“You know,” you joked, “this seemed to be a lot bigger when we were kids.”

You saw the ghost of a smile on his face at your words, but it quickly disappeared. You sat down in the middle of the hut and patted the ground next to you. Natsu’s eyes drifted to the forest outside. You smiled before coughing to get his attention. He sighed and joined you on the ground. You smiled and held one of his hands with both of yours, squeezing tightly.

“I miss her, too.”

Natsu started shaking before he pulled his hand away from you. He gripped both sides of his head and folded over so his head was by his knees. You took one of your hands on his shoulder and pulled him into your side. He started to sniffle, causing you to start. You both sat there sniffling and holding onto each other. 

“Hey (Y/N)?”

You looked up to see that he had tears streaming down his face, but he had his signature grin. He wiped away your tears with his thumb, and you laughed lightly before doing the same to him. He placed his forehead on yours and held both your hands just as you did before. 

“You wanna go for some fish?”

You howled in laughter as you looked up to his smiling face. You could tell that he was still fighting tears. 

“Why don’t I just cook some fish? We’re both totally not ready to eat in public.”

“Can we go to your place? Mine’s a mess.”

“Natsu, when isn’t it a mess?”

Natsu shrugged before leading you out of the hut and dragging your back to your apartment. He instinctively went to jump through the window when you grabbed his ear for the second time that day. 

“Natsu! I’m literally right here with a key!”

“Oh,” he grinned and sheepishly rubbed the back of his head as he apologized, “I guess I’m just used to barging in.”

“No kidding.”

You unlocked the door and Natsu immediately went over to your couch and jumped on it. You laughed at his childish antics before going over to your fridge. 

“Should I even bother making a vegetable for the fish?”

“Ew, no.”

You shook your head before grabbing a magnet and throwing it at him, hitting his head.

“Ow, what was that for?”

“You should really learn to eat healthier.”

“Fish is healthy!” Natsu defended. 

\----------------------------------------------------

The doors to the hall were roughly kicked open as a voice shouted, “Laxus, fight me!”

Everyone groaned and turned to face the door, expecting a pissed off Natsu. They were instead greeted by Natsu’s smiling face as he started to cast a spell. Everyone looked at Natsu confused, but he was quickly knocked down to the ground by Laxus’s arm. 

Natsu eventually got up and joined Team Natsu at their usual table. He started happily chatting to them which confused them completely. You stood in the doorway with a smile on your face. Lucy looked over at you and raised an eyebrow at you, earning her a shrug in response. 

“What did you do?” Mira laughed as you sat down at the bar.

“Sometimes talking does the trick.”

“Hm,” Mira playfully spoke, “I guess best friend talks are really helpful, but did you by any chance bribe him as well?”

You both giggled before talking to each other, occasionally looking towards Natsu to make sure that he was okay. 

“Lisanna, Natsu and you were always so close. I’m sure she’s smiling down now after seeing that you and Natsu are still best friends.”


	16. Natsu x Jealous!Reader (Request)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to sodapip for the request! This takes place during episode 50 (the one with Juvia's love potion).

It was a normal day at the guild. That is, until you heard something interesting. 

“I heard Natsu has a crush on a girl now!”

(Y/N)’s ears perked up as she stood at the request board. She tried to act like she didn’t hear anything and walked past the group gossiping. 

_Natsu has been acting strange lately._

She looked towards the spot where Natsu had been and saw that he had left. She approached the bar and started to talk to Mira. 

“So,” (Y/N) tried to seem nonchalant as she joked, “Natsu has a crush, eh?”

“Don’t you think that they would be cute together?” Mira asked. 

(Y/N)’s heart dropped when she heard that it was Lucy that Natsu liked. Mira continued to gush about how perfect of a couple they would be, (Y/N)’s heart aching with every second. She looked over at Lucy to see that she was blushing. (Y/N) sighed before grabbing the rest of her food and leaving. 

_Why Lucy? I know that they’re on the same team, but why…?_

(Y/N) arrived at her apartment and flopped on the couch before groaning. She decided to visit Lucy, mostly as a friend, partly as a rival. After knocking on the door, Lucy nervously opened it, sighing in relief when she saw that it was just (Y/N). Lucy ushered her inside. (Y/N) took in the sight before her: clothes were scattered everywhere, and a usually neat apartment looked like a tornado hit.

“Um, Lucy, what happened?”

“I’m totally freaking out, (Y/N)! You’ve got to help me.”

(Y/N) looked at her confused and asked her to elaborate. Her heart dropped again when she heard that Natsu asked Lucy to meet him alone in the park that night. 

“You have to help! I have no idea what to wear or what to do with my hair or--”

“I don’t think I’d be much help,” (Y/N) said simply as she turned to leave the apartment. 

“Wait!”

(Y/N) turned back around to see Lucy standing out in the street behind her struggling to breathe. She raised an eyebrow at the celestial wizard. Once Lucy caught her breath, she continued.

“Please. I don’t even think I like Natsu that way. I need your help to try to sort through all this.”

(Y/N) sighed before following Lucy back into her apartment. Lucy started to try on different outfits, asking (Y/N) for her opinion on them.

“Lucy,” (Y/N) started, a hint of annoyance in her tone, “if you don’t like Natsu, why are you putting in all this effort?”

Lucy stayed silent before a blush appeared on her face. 

“I don’t know! Maybe I don’t want to hurt his feelings. My mind has been running wild lately and it’s all Mira’s fault.”

“Wear the black one,” (Y/N) said suddenly before standing up. “Oh, and wear your hair like this.”

(Y/N) gestured a hairstyle using her own hair as an example before waving goodbye and disappearing into the shadows.

“This _sucks_ ,” (Y/N) complained out loud. “Lucy of all people. Figures. This is so cliche. My crush likes my best friend instead of me.”

(Y/N) decided against going back to the guild, mostly because she heard a huge commotion when she walked by the guildhall, so she went back to her apartment. (Y/N) groaned and laid face down on her bed with her head buried in a pillow. She screamed into her pillow, letting out all the frustration come out. You see, (Y/N) wasn’t an angry jealous type. She was more of a ‘let me bottle up everything inside until it forces itself out’ kind of jealous with a mix of ‘if I cry then it’ll all be okay again’ jealousy. So, naturally, she started to cry. 

“I guess it’s no use staying here all night,” (Y/N) said as she stood up and sniffled. 

She made her way back to the guild, deciding that she needed a distraction. She opened the door and was met with chaos. Erza was attacking a pillar, Shadow Gear and the Thunder God Tribe were having some sort of battle, and Mira was acting all aggressive. All in all, everything was crazy. 

“Just what I need,” (Y/N) muttered. 

She walked over to the bar and sat down next to the master, who was having a drinking contest with Cana. She tapped her fingers on the counter, trying to ignore the utter chaos and confusion that was happening in the guild. She eventually hopped over the bar counter and fixed herself something to eat. If anyone was listening, they could hear (Y/N)’s soft grumbles as she ate her food. 

“(Y/N)!” Elfman shouted. “You’re a real man! So you’re my rival!”

(Y/N) lifted an eyebrow and stood up once she saw that Elfman was running towards her. She swiftly knocked him off his feet and threw him across the guildhall, breaking a table in the process. (Y/N) took the rest of her food and walked out of the guild. She concluded that a night time walk would be the only solution at that point, so she wandered around Magnolia. 

_Man, talk about betrayal. Though, is it even betrayal when neither of them knew?_

(Y/N) laughed bitterly to herself before she found herself in the park. She started to feel better, the cool wind taking her mind off what had happened. She listened to the quiet chirps of the crickets and the soothing sound of nearby water flowing. Smiling to herself, she continued walking through the park. She opened her eyes and gasped when she saw Natsu and Lucy standing under a tree alone. 

_Crap! Of all the things that had to happen._

She immediately spun around and walked in the opposite direction, stepping carefully so she didn’t draw attention to herself. Tears started to form again in her eyes. She forced herself to stop crying, aggressively wiping her eyes. She scuffed across town, her feet making a dragging sound with each step. (Y/N) found herself in the same position she was in earlier, head buried in her pillow and her hands balled into fists. 

She eventually fell asleep like that, dry tears sticking to her face. A tap on her shoulder jolted her awake, and she instinctively kicked whoever it was in the stomach. 

“Ow,” a voice groaned. 

(Y/N) opened her eyes fully and saw that it was Natsu folded over in pain. She gasped before rushing over to him.

“Are you okay?” (Y/N) fretted. “I’m so sorry. I thought you were a burglar or something.”

Natsu forced out an “I’m fine” before standing up straight and groaning again. 

“You sure pack a punch. Well, I guess it’s more of a kick.”

“Um, Natsu, what...are you doing here?”

“You were sleeping so I came through the window,” Natsu stated matter-of-factly as he shrugged his shoulders.

“That’s not what I meant.”

“I asked Lucy to help me dig out a treasure but she totally blew me off!” Natsu shouted as he complained. 

(Y/N) blinked a few times before unsurely repeating, “Treasure?”

“I asked her to summon Virgo to help me dig but she completely freaked out and left me there! I mean, it’s not like I was gonna keep it all to myself.”

_I...am an idiot. An absolute fool. Just to make sure…_

“So you weren’t on a date?”

“A date?” Natsu chuckled. “I don’t think that would ever happen.”

(Y/N) breathed out a breath of relief, making sure Natsu didn’t notice. Her best friend instinct kicked in next.

“You idiot! Lucy thought you were asking her on a date this whole time. You had her all worked up!”

“Woah, no way. Is that why she was acting all creepy the last few days?”

“Yes!” (Y/N) shouted before she started stepping closer to him, chiding, “You put her through a lot, so you better apologize the next time you see her.”

“Why did she even think that in the first place? That makes no sense!” Natsu groaned as he walked over to your bed and flopped down on it.

“First off, get off my bed. It’s not yours. Second, it was because everyone has been talking about how you have a crush on someone and you started acting strange around Lucy.”

“Th-they said that?”

(Y/N) looked over at the dragon slayer and saw that he had sat straight up and was looking around nervously. 

“Yes, which caused everyone to think that it was Lucy. You basically had the whole guild convinced.”

Natsu looked off to the side before replying, “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

(Y/N) rolled her eyes and stood in front of Natsu. He nervously stood up, but he quickly regretted it because the two of them were now basically nose to nose. Their cheeks turned a deep crimson and (Y/N) quickly backed away. She eventually recovered and pointed an accusing finger at him.

“So do you have a crush on Lucy or not? She deserves to know.”

“I-uh no. They, uh, must’ve confused something along the way.”

(Y/N) raised an eyebrow at the dragon slayer before pushing him to continue. 

“I mean, it’s true that I have a crush, but it’s just not Lucy.”

(Y/N)’s face faltered for a second, all the feelings from earlier that day resurfacing. 

“I see,” she said as she turned away from him. “Well you better go clear things up with her then.”

Natsu stayed silent for a minute before asking, “Do you think I should wait a while to tell my real crush that I like her or should I tell her now so she doesn’t get the wrong idea?”

“Natsu, that’s completely your call,” she snapped before shooing him. 

Natsu crouched into your window, getting ready to exit the apartment. (Y/N) rolled her eyes at his inability to use a door, but she couldn’t help but be entertained. 

“I guess I better tell her now.”

“Then go.”

“Hey, uh, (Y/N)?”

“What?”

Natsu grinned wide before declaring, “I just wanted you to know that I really like you, and I was hoping we could go on a date some time.”

(Y/N) gasped before stuttering for an answer as her cheeks once again turned red. With that, Natsu jumped out and landed in the street. 

“Natsu!”

He just chuckled and waved goodbye before running down the street.


	17. NSFW Natsu x Reader Modern AU (Requested)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> NSFW and also crappy so read if you want

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> NSFW! Okay so this is my first time writing something like this, so bear with me. Thank you to Enoryx for the request. Also sorry I didn't get the outfit right, but I could only write in with a modern setting for the beginning, so it's a slight Modern AU. Enjoy! Oh also, I realize that some people would not want to read/be comfortable reading, so I'm posting another separate one shot for people to read so that there's still a new one.

“Why are people turned on by this stuff?” Natsu laughed as he cuddled closer to his girlfriend.

“Yeah, I mean look at the setting. Sex in their boss’s office? Really? It’s so unrealistic.”

Natsu chuckled and pointed to the screen again, making fun of the dramatic dialogue present in the porn they were watching. 

“I have to say, (Y/N), this is the weirdest date we’ve been on.”

“No way! That juicing date tops this one. The last thing I was expecting when you said we should go out was to make orange juice.”

They turned back to the laptop when they heard moaning. (Y/N) giggled and leaned into Natsu’s side. 

“This is actually really fun.”

“Makes me confident in my choice not to be a porn star.”

“Natsu,” (Y/N) giggled, “you wouldn’t be able to stop laughing if you tried to film a sex scene.”

Said man scoffed, “I so could. You’re just worried that I’ll go off and become super rich.”

“Sure Natsu,” (Y/N) sarcastically agreed, “that’s exactly what I was thinking.”

Natsu started snickering, “Even her face is off. Nobody looks like that when they climax.”

(Y/N) rolled off the couch and went into the kitchen to get more popcorn when she heard Natsu laughing more. She shook her head as she smiled. 

“At least I know you don’t watch porn very often,” (Y/N) joked. 

“Why do that when I have the real thing?” Natsu countered with a smirk.

“Very smooth, Dragneel.”

He gave his signature grin and mentioned her over so they could finish watching. They absentmindedly ate the popcorn while they continued to make fun of the scenes. (Y/N) held Natsu’s hand as they cuddled, and Natsu squeezed it gently before turning to kiss her cheek. They both smiled at each other before an idea popped into (Y/N)‘s head. (Y/N) smiled sweetly as her other hand slipped under the blanket that they had thrown over themselves. Natsu jolted when he felt her hand on his crotch. He chuckled.

“What are you doing? It’s almost over. Don’t you want to--”

He stopped when (Y/N) gave his pants a soft squeeze. She looked up and saw that his face was dusted pink, so she decided to continue. His breath hitched when he felt her start to rub the area. 

“S-so I guess you’re...done with...the movie?” Natsu struggled to ask. 

(Y/N) crawled closer and leaned next to his ear, whispering, “You’re turned on already? That was fast.”

Natsu laughed lightly, turning his head so he could face his girlfriend. He gave her a sloppy kiss, barely meeting her lips, before tugging her over so she was straddling him on the couch. (Y/N) played with the hair on the back of his head while Natsu held her by her thighs. They made eye contact, both holding mischievous glints in their eyes. Natsu moved one of his hands and brought it to her cheek to pull her down, kissing her lovingly. He started to trail kisses on her shoulder, making (Y/N) loosen her grip on his hair.

“I have a proposition,” Natsu started.

“Oh? And what’s that?”

He smirked and held her hips, bringing her closer.

“First one to make a noise loses.”

(Y/N) returned his smirk and shook his hand, taking the bet, taunting, “Oh, it’s on.”

Natsu carefully held her legs so she wouldn’t fall when he stood up. He carried her over to their bed, (Y/N) kissing his neck the whole way. 

“Just so we’re clear,” Natsu started, “is this a night where I gently place you down or throw you?”

“Whatever you want.”

“Hm,” Natsu overdramatically pondered. “If I’m trying to make _you_ make a noise first…”

He gently lowered her down to the bed, kissing her softly as he did. (Y/N) let out a quiet “dammit” before smiling up at him. She sat on the edge of the bed with Natsu standing between her legs, looking down at her with so much love that it made (Y/N) giggle. He held her head in both his hands and tilted it up so he could kiss her again. (Y/N)’s hand crept towards his pants again, but Natsu caught them before pushing her arms to her side, making her lay on the bed. He crawled on the bed, knees placed between her legs and his hands on both sides of her head. 

“So,” Natsu playfully asked as he wiggled his eyebrows, “how do you wanna do this?”

(Y/N) laughed before bringing her hands around his neck and pulling him down to her so she could kiss him passionately. He moved his arms so that one hand was gripping her waist and the other was on her thigh. He pushed her further up the bed, lips never leaving hers. He placed his forehead on hers before kissing her nose, trailing kisses from her nose to her cheek before moving to her arm. (Y/N) breathed out a laugh and raised her knee to between his legs. He looked up from her arm and smirked, returning to face her and started to kiss the side of her neck. She gasped when she felt him start to bite. He smiled devilishly as he tugged at her shirt. She nodded and leaned up so he could slide her shirt off her. He started to drift from her neck to her collarbone. (Y/N) was able to kiss the top of his head while he did this, continuing to move her knee in circles. Natsu gave a husky laugh and made his way to the top of her breasts, gently nipping. He shifted so he could reach her stomach, robbing (Y/N) of her plans to get the upper hand. He slowly kissed her stomach as he held both her hips. 

Natsu looked up from her stomach to see the flustered look (Y/N) held. He tilted his head so his chin was resting on her stomach so that he could see her.

“Can I take off your shorts?”

(Y/N) nodded, trying to keep quiet. He slowly tugged at the shorts, pulling them down to her ankles. He smiled and started to pepper kisses on the inside of her thighs, causing light giggles to be heard.

“You know,” Natsu joked, “I could just tickle you and you’d lose right now.”

“That doesn’t count,” (Y/N) stated sternly. “You can’t do that if I can’t even find out where you’re ticklish.”

Natsu moved so that he was nuzzling between her legs and hummed, sending vibrations through her entire core and making her shiver in anticipation. 

“Y-you made a noise. You l-lose.”

Natsu looked up at her, offended and defended, “That doesn’t even count. I was just responding to your statement.”

He pulled away and sat at her feet. (Y/N) raised her head to question him when he explained. 

“You’re saying I’m cheating,” he pouted.

“N-no,” (Y/N) breathed, “I was wrong. You didn’t.”

Natsu tittered and kissed her nose. He started to kiss her cheek and then her eyelids.

“Go back down,” (Y/N) pleaded.

“Oh?”

Natsu returned to her thighs and bit the area really close to where he was before. (Y/N) struggled to keep her composure, and she was further tested when he looked up at her while he kissed the area that her underwear covered. He lifted his gaze up to her as he gently tugged at her underwear. She quickly nodded, prompting Natsu to slowly pull it down. 

“Let’s see,” Natsu playfully remarked, “which way would make you make a noise faster?”

“When do...I get a turn at all? You’re not even undressed yet.”

Natsu tsked and told her to be patient. (Y/N) rolled her eyes, but quickly changed her expression when she felt Natsu’s tongue wander inside her. She gripped the sheets tightly as she struggled to stay silent. Natsu heard her heavy breathing and smirked before holding her thighs and pushing them further apart. She could feel everything down to his breath. He laughed, sending another wave of pleasure through her, her thighs instinctively closing. Natsu pulled away and smirked.

“Now, now,” he teased, “you really shouldn’t try to crush anyone like that.”

He looked up at his girlfriend, taking in the sight of her breathing heavily and covered with sweat. He once again returned to between her thighs and repeated what he had done before. He felt her start to tighten, so he started to push his tongue further in. (Y/N) took a sharp breath in before her whole body jerked. She stopped breathing for a minute.

“Damn,” Natsu whined. “That’s totally not fair. It should be against the rule to have an orgasm without noise.”

(Y/N) looked down at her boyfriend and responded, “Yeah well I’ve had a lot of practice to keep it on the down low so I don’t disturb the neighbors again.”

Natsu crawled over her again and kissed her deeply. 

“So,” (Y/N) drawled, “is it your turn now?”

“Hm, I don’t think so. It would probably be better if we had a level playing field, dontcha think?”

“You play dirty. What was the point of my turn then?”

“Exactly that — to play dirty.”

“You dickhead.”

“Besides,” Natsu shrugged, “you said you had a rough day at work.”

(Y/N) smiled and sat up to kiss him as she silently thanked him. Natsu looked up to look at her and smirk before trying to push her back down. 

“Not so fast, mister.”

(Y/N) leaned over and tugged at his belt as she quickly tried to unbuckle it. She eventually got it and pulled his pants down. Natsu laughed and pushed her down again. They did nothing but make out for a few minutes, (Y/N)’s legs wrapping around Natsu’s waist. 

“Alright,” Natsu declared as he broke the kiss, “Time to make you scream!”

(Y/N) laughed at his forwardness and care free attitude mixed with determination. She felt his hand begin to creep downwards.

“Hey,” she scolded, “you can only play that card once.”

He looked at her in the eyes, and she could see a mischievous glint in his eyes again. 

“You’re just doing all this so you win.”

“Am I?” Natsu asked. “Well why didn’t you tell me that before!”

(Y/N) looked at him, remembering that that was just how Natsu was when they had sex. He always made sure to put her first, even if it meant that they didn’t have enough time to fuck completely. She was brought out of her thoughts when she felt Natsu’s finger slipping inside her. She let out a sharp gasp. 

“I guess I miscalculated earlier. This way seems to be working so much more.”

(Y/N) couldn’t form any words to rebuttal his smug statement, as he had placed two more fingers in. Her breaths were ragged, and she tried arching her back into it more, but Natsu’s other hand held her hips down. She felt herself start to tighten again, and this time she wasn’t sure she could hold in any noises, so she prepared for Natsu’s smug look. She was met with a smug look from Natsu alright, but it wasn’t because he won. Just as she was ready to climax, Natsu pulled his fingers out. (Y/N)’s head lifted to try to look at Natsu. He had an amused look on his face as he stared down at her.

“W-what are you doing? Why did you--”

He leaned over to her again and kissed her cheek. 

“You weren’t ready yet.”

“Natsu what are you talking about? I am obviously…”

(Y/N) stopped talking when she saw that Natsu was holding one of her hands in his free hand. She started laughing as she was reminded that they had always tried to hold hands when they had their orgasms. She squeezed his hand, and Natsu grinned before placing his fingers back inside her. She was soon met with the same tightening feeling as before, her breath picking up again. She gasped and squeezed her eyes shut, feeling his fingers crawl deeper. (Y/N) tried her best to stay quiet, but she couldn’t hold it back anymore. She gripped his hand as tight as she could, and once she felt his gently squeeze back, she gave into the feeling and screamed as she climaxed. She whipped her head back down onto the bed and tried to catch her breath. Natsu removed his fingers and placed both his arms on either side of her head. Natsu smiled lovingly at her and gave her a soft peck. (Y/N) pulled him down by his tie and met him with a desperate kiss. 

“I love you so much,” (Y/N) whispered as she held his head in her hands.

Natsu chuckled, bringing one of his hands up to brush her (H/C) hair out of her face. He turned his head to the side slightly and kissed one of her palms. 

“Hey love,” Natsu started softly before a cheeky grin appeared on his face, “I think you lost.”

(Y/N) tittered before letting go of Natsu’s face and laying her hands on the collar of his shirt. She played with the collar, lifting it up and down as they both took in the comforting silence that came over them. Natsu smiled when he heard that she was still trying to catch her breath. He leaned down and nuzzled his nose into her neck before giving her neck a quick kiss. 

“I sure hope your apartment walls are thick,” Natsu mused. “I don’t think Erza would appreciate all the noise.”

“Oh crap! Wendy’s back from summer camp.”

“You sure have some interesting neighbors.”

They both made eye contact again and smiled. (Y/N) pulled on his tie again, bringing him down so that his face was close to her. She moved her foot so that it was stroking him, causing Natsu to chuckle into her neck. He kissed her forehead before kneeling in between her legs. He traced patterns on her hip bone and smiled. 

“Please, Natsu,” (Y/N) pleaded. 

“You sure have a lot of stamina today,” Natsu joked. 

He patted around for her hand, keeping his eyes locked onto hers, and grabbed it in his own. (Y/N) closed her eyes and smiled as she felt Natsu shift. He had removed his boxers and threw them on the floor. She felt him lean close to her ear. She shivered as she felt his breath on her ear.

“I love you, (Y/N).”

A second later, (Y/N) felt Natsu’s member push inside her. They both moaned as they felt each other. Natsu thrusted as he gave her soft kisses on her shoulder and collar bone. 

“N-Natsu.”

(Y/N) turned her head to the side and caught his lips, giving him a sloppy and ill-aimed kiss. He grunted and leaned his head into her neck, licking and nipping as he continued to slip in and out. (Y/N)’s moans were getting louder, causing Natsu to move his mouth closer to her ear. 

“Someone’s gonna hear,” Natsu playfully sang.

(Y/N) took in another sharp breath as Natsu hit her most sensitive spot. She started to scream, but Natsu silenced her by kissing her hard. 

“Shh,” Natsu soothed. “You don’t want Wendy to hear.”

(Y/N)’s breathing rate picked up as she tried to hold in her screams. She had wrapped her legs around Natsu, trying to bring him closer. She gripped his shoulders and grasped so hard that she caused some blood to seep onto his shirt. Before she could scream again, Natsu kissed her again, this time with so much love that it pushed her over the edge. She tightened her grip on his hand, her knuckles turning white. She shook as the orgasm made its way through her, her body curling into Natsu. 

“Nat...su.”

She took her free hand and caressed Natsu’s cheek. He was close and (Y/N) could tell. She gasped when she felt his hand return to her thighs. 

“What are you--” (Y/N) was cut off by her own moans as she felt Natsu stroking her as he continued to thrust. 

Her free hand fell off Natsu’s face and began to grip the sheets again. She arched her back, Natsu allowing her this time. Natsu let out a quiet moan and kissed her shoulder again. His movements became erratic and quicker as (Y/N)’s body tried its best to hold back. 

“Natsu,” (Y/N) breathed.

“I know.”

With one last thrust, both of them squeezed each other’s hands until the blood flow seemed to stop and turn the hands blue. (Y/N) was taking shallow breaths as she felt her body shake. Natsu buried his face into her neck again and kissed it softly. (Y/N) started trailing her fingers across his chest and was finally able to catch her breath. Natsu rolled off to the side so that (Y/N) could move if she wanted to. She scooted so she was cuddling into his side and wrapped her arm across his chest. He turned his head so he could kiss her temples and continued to hold her hand. 

Natsu jokingly asked, “How long do you think your neighbors will hate me?”

“I don’t care,” (Y/N) breathed. 

He laughed before turning on his side and facing her.

“I love you.”

(Y/N) smiled and shifted so her forehead was pressed against his, whispering back, “And I love you.”

“So,” Natsu teased, “four times, huh?”

(Y/N) blushed a deep red and threw a pillow at him.


	18. Natsu x Reader: First Date Jitters (Requested)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I figured that I would post a second one shot for those who didn't want to read the previous one. Thanks again to Enoryx for the request. Enjoy!

“Just do it, Pyro! I don’t understand why you’re getting so worked up about this.”

“Says the guy who’s never been on a date either.”

Gray snapped his head to a snickering Lucy. He huffed and pressed that Natsu was still being an idiot. Lucy grabbed Natsu’s shoulders and looked deep into his darting eyes.

Lucy laughed, “Natsu, focus.”

“What do I even do? This is so frustrating!”

“Well first,” Lucy stated as she looked him up and down, “you need to change into something nicer.”

“Nicer? What’s wrong with what I’m wearing?” Natsu shouted.

“My my, this should be interesting,” Mira giggled. 

Wendy decided to speak up, “Why is mister Natsu so worried? Don’t him and (Y/N) hang out all the time anyway?”

Charle explained, “Child, hanging out with someone as friends is a lot different from going on a date with them. Besides, all they do is spar and go on requests when they hang out. That’s far from what is happening tonight on the date.”

“Exactly! Natsu isn’t going to fight her tonight,” Lucy stated as she gave the dragon slayer a stern look. “Right, Natsu?”

“Uh, yeah, sure.”

“Let’s go pick out something for you to wear. Gray, you’re helping.”

Gray protested for a while before Erza helped convince him by giving him her signature glare. He quickly followed Lucy as she pushed Natsu out the door. 

\-----------------------------------------

(Y/N) stood outside her apartment and waited for Natsu as she watched the snow fall. She took off her mittens and tried to catch some snowflakes in her palms before they melted. She giggled to herself as she looked upwards and took in the small drops that formed on her face. The sound of snow crunching brought her gaze back down to street level, and she smiled when she saw Natsu standing in front of her. He was holding his scarf close to him, which wasn’t abnormal, but (Y/N) saw that he seemed to be hiding behind it. She brushed it off and started to make conversation. 

“So have you been on any fun requests lately? Lucy told me the bandit one was really cool.”

Natsu seemed shocked that she was talking about jobs, but he smiled because, to him, talking about his jobs was a comfort zone for him. He started talking about the fun that they had tying up the bandits and drawing on their faces while they waited for the Magic Council. 

“And then we totally destroyed like half the forest, and then--”

Natsu seemed to catch himself, noticing that he was rambling. (Y/N) looked at him curiously, leaning closer towards him to ask why he suddenly stopped speaking. The dragon slayer went to turn to ask her what she wanted to talk about, but jumped when he saw that she was standing right in front of him, her head tilted to look at his face.

“Uh…”

“How come you stopped?” (Y/N) asked innocently. 

Natsu tried to recall what Lucy had told him what to do on a date, but he completely blanked. He seemed to suddenly remember something: ask her about her life. 

“I just wanted to ask you how you were doing.”

(Y/N) giggled before turning on her heel and returning to his side. 

“I’ve just been training with Gajeel and Lily. Other than that I’ve been taking some really easy requests to keep busy. I had to look for a lost frog last week.”

Natsu laughed, “No way, really?”

“Yeah it was super hard because of all the snow. I eventually found the little guy sitting by a steam plate near the bakeshop.”

They walked in silence for a couple minutes, (Y/N) happily enjoying the silence that she thought was comfortable, and Natsu nervously trying to think of what to say to fill what he thought was awkward silence. (Y/N) seemed to be leading them to the center of Magnolia.

“Where are we going?” Natsu asked curiously.

They stopped in front of Natsu’s favorite diner, (Y/N) turning around and clapping, “Here!”

His eyes lit up and started jumping from one foot to the other in excitement. 

“I didn’t realize that you liked this place so much,” (Y/N) tittered.

“Are you kidding? This is my favorite place! Let’s get inside before the tables fill.”

They had sat down in the corner by the window. (Y/N) was looking at the menu and looked up amused to see Natsu impatiently waiting for a server to come by. 

“What do you recommend?” (Y/N) joked.

Natsu seemed to be brought out of his excitement-filled trance and blushed once he realized what he was doing. He rubbed the back of his head and chuckled nervously. 

“Sorry.”

“About what?”

“I was being too excited about food,” Natsu admitted, remembering how Lucy yelled at him to not do that.

(Y/N) laughed lightly and put her menu down. She waved it off with a smile on her face.

“Don’t worry about that, Natsu. I know how much you love food.”

Natsu blushed and questioned, “You do?”

She giggled again and responded, “Well yeah. You’re always eating at the bar, Natsu. I’m the one that serves you.”

“O-Oh. Right.”

(Y/N) eventually decided what she wanted, and they both ordered, Natsu ordering about half the food on the menu. The server brought all the food over to the table, spreading all the plates across the table.

“Now you two lovebirds enjoy, okay?”

Natsu’s mouth opened as he tried to counter the older waitress, but (Y/N) just smiled at her and thanked her for the food. (Y/N) began to pick at her food. Natsu was about ready to inhale all the food when he remembered Gray yelling at him to not eat like that. Natsu carefully took a piece of chicken and ate it as slowly as he could. 

“You don’t have to eat like that because I’m here,” (Y/N) casually said as she looked out the window. “You can eat how you usually do. You shouldn’t worry about something like that.”

“Are you sure?”

She brought her gaze from the window back to Natsu, smiling brightly and assuring him that she didn’t mind. Natsu gave a goofy grin and continued to eat. After they finished eating, they made their way to the park. 

“So what do you do in your free time?” Natsu suddenly asked. 

“I like to read, but I usually train with Gajeel when I have the time.”

“How come you spend so much time with old Bolts?”

(Y/N) laughed and explained that she needed someone to be tough and blunt when training. 

“And I mean, I can’t exactly ask _Laxus_ or anything,” she joked. 

Natsu chuckled and continued walking before something caught his eye. He turned to face a tree and saw that a small bird was chirping on a branch. Natsu shrugged and went to turn around when he was met with a cold sensation on his shoulder.

“What?!” 

Natsu frantically looked around, thinking that they were being attacked. His eyes landed on the (H/C) girl, noticing that she was holding a snowball. He went to say something when the snowball hit his stomach area. 

“Oh it’s on.”

Natsu quickly gathered some snow and chucked it in (Y/N)’s direction. A couple of snowballs hit her in the arm and shoulder. Natsu was hit in the stomach and leg. They were both giggling as they ran around the park whipping snowballs at each other. They eventually stopped, both of them leaning on a tree as they caught their breath. Natsu moved in front of her to continue talking to her when he noticed that she had snow in her (H/C) hair. 

“Uh, you have snow in your hair.”

(Y/N) giggled and countered, “You do too.”

She stood on her tiptoes and reached her hands up to his hair, brushing the snow off. Natsu blushed deeply at her actions before looking at her and seeing a soft smile. He slowly raised his hands and started to brush the snow off her hair as well. They both stood in silence, just looking at each other. They could hear a couple children running around the park, so (Y/N) suggested that they keep walking before they got caught in the crossfire of another snowball fight. They walked for a few minutes before Natsu wanted to try to start another conversation. He coughed, gaining her attention. She stood in front of him expectantly. 

“So what do--”

Natsu was cut off when a kid ran into him, knocking him forward. When he opened his eyes, he saw that he had fallen on (Y/N) and was now there with his hands on either side of her head. He panicked and quickly stood up, stuttering for an excuse. 

“Sorry mister,” the kid quickly apologized before running back towards his friends. 

Natsu awkwardly held his hand out for (Y/N) to take, and he pulled her up once she took it. He couldn’t look at her without losing all his thoughts. They just stood there facing each other until Natsu felt her hands on his hair again.

“You have snow in your hair again,” she giggled. 

“Oh, t-thanks.”

(Y/N) looked at Natsu and realized that he felt awkward, so she decided to distract him.

“What do you say we go get some hot chocolate for this cold winter night?”

Natsu looked surprised but eventually agreed, and they both made their way to a small bakeshop in town. One of the cashiers instantly recognized (Y/N) and greeted her. Natsu looked at her confused.

“You get recognized at restaurants. I get recognized at bakeshops.”

Natsu grinned wide and questioned, “How often do you come in here?”

“Basically all the time, especially when it’s cold. I like their hot chocolate.”

They got their drinks and went to sit down on the bench outside, protected by the small awning that covered the bench from snow. They chatted while they drank from their mugs when (Y/N) leaned in closer to Natsu. Said fire wizard stiffened. (Y/N) pointed at him and smiled.

“You have a mustache.”

Natsu wiped his face embarrassed, but his embarrassment quickly subsided when he saw (Y/N) pointing to her own hot chocolate mustache. 

“This bakeshop’s hot chocolate always does this. It’s what makes it fun!”

Natsu chuckled and leaned back, enjoying the nice chill of the night. 

“We better get home,” (Y/N) observed, “because it looks like a big storm is coming.”

Natsu looked up to the sky and sighed when he saw the snow start to pick up. 

“Come on, I’ll walk you home.”

(Y/N) smiled and pulled him towards the direction of her apartment. They walked side by side, talking about anything and nothing at the same time. Natsu noticed that (Y/N) kept breathing out for warmth, and he decided to try to do something. He looked up to the sky for confidence to do it, and he eventually decided to just go for it. He slowly took off his scarf from his neck and wrapped it around (Y/N)’s. She looked at him, pure shock on her face.

“Natsu, this is your scarf from Igneel.”

The dragon slayer looked off to the side, refusing eye contact and blushing as he stated, “You looked cold.”

“But don’t you--”

“I’m a fire wizard. The cold doesn’t affect me. You can wear it until I get you home so you’ll be warm.”

“But Natsu, you don’t need to do that. I’m--”

“I swear, it’s fine. I promise. It’s not like you’re keeping it or anything.”

(Y/N) thanked him and pulled the scarf close to her. They made it to her apartment steps and stood there, both trying to figure out how to say goodbye. (Y/N) stepped closer to Natsu and hugged him loosely.

“Thanks for tonight, Natsu. I had fun!”

He looked at her surprised and asked, “Really? Are you sure?”

“Of course,” she laughed, “we got to go to your favorite place and my favorite place. And we played in the snow. It was great.”

Natsu breathed out a sigh of relief. (Y/N) gently took off Natsu’s scarf, careful not to harm it in any way, and handed it back to him. 

“Thank you, Natsu.”

\-----------------------------------------------------

“So how did it go?” Mira asked (Y/N) as they both cleaned glasses at the bar.

“It was fun. I liked it.”

“Did you guys do anything _romantic_?”

(Y/N) rolled her eyes at the hopeless romantic and relayed the events of the date to her.

“Wait a second,” Gray started as he overheard the two talking, “he gave you his scarf?”

“He said I looked cold so he gave it to me until I got home.”

Gray and Mira started laughing loudly.

“Flamebrain was so nervous that he actually forgot you’re an ice wizard!”

(Y/N) giggled, “I tried telling him. EIther way, I thought it was cute.”


	19. Lost in a Maze

“‘Go into a corn maze’ they said. ‘It’ll be fun’ they said,” (Y/N) sarcastically spoke as Natsu led them in a random direction. 

“This is definitely the way out. Trust me.”

“Natsu, you said that an hour ago. And I’m pretty sure we’re going in circles at this point.”

“No way. It’s this way. I can feel it.”

They both walked through the maze, hitting multiple dead ends. Natsu was, of course, convinced that he knew the way out. (Y/N) on the other hand was very skeptical, especially seeing as they had been in the maze for about three hours. 

“Why couldn’t we have gone on a normal date and have sex afterwards. Now we’re stuck in this maze and--”

“We can still do that when we get out. We’re gonna be out of this thing super soon.”

“If you think I’m doing anything but sleeping after this then you are extremely wrong,” (Y/N) stated. “Almost as wrong as you are trying to get us out of here.”

“I”m telling you. _This_ is the way.”

“We passed by that scarecrow ten minutes ago!”

“That’s a different one,” Natsu defended. “The last one had a green hat.”

_“This one has a green hat.”_

Natsu chuckled nervously and rubbed the back of his head as he watched her expression turn dark.

“I swear, if you don’t get me out of here we are never going on another job together ever again.”

Natsu laughed and grabbed her hand, pulling her in the opposite direction.

“ _Great_ ,” her sarcastic tone returned, “now we’ll go in circles the _other_ way.”

They weaved through the paths and eventually came to a new area. 

“See?” Natsu countered smugly. “I told you it was this way.”

“ _Actually_ , you said it was the other way.”

He pouted before continuing to pull her along. They were met with another deadend, forcing them to turn around again. The dragon slayer led them to another unfamiliar path and they started to have hope. That is, until (Y/N) looked up and saw the green hat of the scarecrow again. 

“Natsu!”

He groaned in frustration and looked at (Y/N) sheepishly. She looked away from him and crossed her arms. A few seconds later, she sat down on the ground.

“What’re you doing?” Natsu asked, amused.

“I’m taking a break. We’ve been stuck here for hours and my feet are tired.”

“Come here,” Natsu guided as he bent down.

She sighed in relief and crawled on his back, wrapping her legs and arms around him.

“Okay,” Natsu happily started, “now we go this--”

“No. We go _that_ way,” (Y/N) demanded. 

“But we just--”

“No, Natsu. We came from the way you’re pointing at. It’s my turn to get us out of here.”

(Y/N) helped to guide them towards the center of the maze in order to go on a different path completely. She chose the path that seemed right to her and pushed Natsu to follow her gut. Natsu rolled his eyes when another deadend came in front of them.

“Oh shut up. It just means that we should’ve headed left instead. Back up and go left.”

“Of course, _your highness_.”

(Y/N) smirked and gently tugged at his hair, causing him to stiffen.

“Don’t do that.”

She snickered and pointed in another direction. Natsu hoisted her up again and trudged through the maze. His nose perked up and he smiled.

“I smell fresh air!”

“Oh thank fuck.”

They kept going in the direction, turning around at the deadends and following Natsu’s nose. They saw the exit and (Y/N) jumped off Natsu’s back and ran out. Natsu followed soon after and grinned. Both of their smiles faltered when they looked at the “ENTRANCE” sign.

“Oh my god.”

“Are you kidding me?” (Y/N) screamed in frustration. “We came back to the _entrance_?”

“Well I’m going back in,” Natsu declared. “I’m not leaving until I get through the maze.”

(Y/N) stayed quiet for a minute, just staring at the entrance sign. She crossed her arms and nodded to Natsu before dragging him back into the maze.

\---------------------------------------------

“Why did we do this to ourselves again?” (Y/N) moaned.

“Says the one that’s not even walking anymore.”

“I just want to go to bed,” she whined as she laid her head in his neck.

“We’re almost there,” Natsu assured. “I can sense it.”

“Oh _great_ , because the last time you sensed it we got out right away!” (Y/N) snapped. 

He turned his head to the side so he could kiss the side of her head before he continued walking down random paths. 

“Let’s go that way,” (Y/N) suggested. “I have a feeling.”

“Oh wonderful, because the last time you had a feeling, we ended up back at the entrance.”

“At least I got us out of the maze!”

“Alright,” Natsu laughed, “we’ll go your way.”

She almost screamed when she saw the scarecrow with the green hat.

“I can’t...do this anymore,” (Y/N) choked as she began to sniffle. 

Natsu immediately put her down and held her head with both his hands, making her look into his eyes.

“It’s gonna be okay. We’ll get out of here--”

“You don’t know that! What if...we can’t get out? We’ll die next to this stupid scarecrow with his fucking green hat.”

“Shh, I promise we’ll get out, especially before we die,” Natsu joked. 

She slowly hugged him, squeezing him tight for comfort. She continued to whimper as Natsu stroked her hair and rocked them. They were interrupted by a cough.

“Hey you two, do you know the way out?”

(Y/N)’s whimpers turned to frustrated screams and whipped her head around, speaking through her angry tears.

“ _No_ , we _don’t_ know the way out.”

“Okay, okay. Jeez lady.”

Natsu urged her to get back on his back, so she jumped on and held him tight, letting her remaining tears drip on his neck. He went in random directions, groaning when he made it back to the same spot. He looked over his shoulder to see that she had fallen asleep. He smiled softly at her.

“Took her long enough.”

After making sure she was actually asleep, Natsu turned towards where the exit should be, behind all of the maze of course, and cast his fire dragon roar. All the hay and corn stocks burned instantly, creating a straight path towards the exit. He smirked and walked through the ashes and crossed the exit line. (Y/N) stirred and opened her eyes to see that they were out of the maze.

“Did we actually?”

Natsu chuckled as he pointed to the “EXIT” sign beside her. 

“No way,” she breathed. “We totally did it!”

“Hey you! Look what you’ve done!”

(Y/N) peeked over Natsu’s shoulder to see that the whole maze was on fire. Her mouth hung open as she watched the people try to put out the fire. 

“Natsu!”

“What? I got you to the exit, didn’t I?”

“That’s not the point and you know it.”


	20. Natsu x Nemesis!Reader: Claustrophobia

Everyone thought Natsu and Gray hated each other the most, but that quickly changed once (Y/N) joined Fairy Tail. 

“You would think that two fire wizards would get along,” Lucy groaned. 

Gray added, “Instead they decide to go at each other’s throats.”

The whole guild watched on as Natsu and (Y/N) continued to fight. 

“You think you’re so smart, huh?!”

“Unlike you, I actually have a brain! Guess what? It’s supposed to be in your head!”

“What did you just say to me?!”

Everyone sighed and tried to break it up, but nothing was working. Suddenly (Y/N) and Natsu were aiming spells at each other, setting their surroundings on fire. Master Makarov had come out of his office to see the two go at it. He coughed to gain everyone’s attention, but the two fighting wizards didn’t even flinch from their standoff. 

“Uh guys?” Mira started, “Don’t you think you’ve fought enough for today? The master wanted to have a meeting with everyone.”

“I’ll stop fighting him when he learns that he shouldn’t be so rude and annoying.”

“Annoying? Look who’s talking. At least I know--”

“Natsu,” Makarov interrupted, “I think it’s best to leave her alone today.”

(Y/N) smirked before echoing the master, “Yeah Natsu, you better go play with your little friends and leave me be.”

Natsu growled, and turned to her, completely ignoring his master’s suggestion and remarked, “Yeah well at least I have friends. Nobody would want to hang out with you anyway.”

(Y/N)’s smirk faltered for a second, which was noticed by everyone. She closed her eyes before fire began to ignite around her hands. She quickly punched Natsu in the face before bringing her right leg up to kick him in the stomach, making him fly across the guild. Her fire continued to burn around her before she took in a deep breath, calling off the flames. She turned to Makarov and sat down at a table in front of him. 

“What did you want to meet about, master?”

“I needed to split you all off in groups for the new requests that came in. I assumed you all would be okay with it, but…”

“What is it, Gramps?” Gray pushed. 

“The newest request specifically asks for two fire mages.”

Everyone looked over at the two to see that they were completely ignoring the meeting and starting to fight each other again.

“Guys, come on. Can’t you stop fighting for one minute?” Lucy whined. 

“Natsu and (Y/N),” Makarov formally stated, “you two have been requested for a job in Hargeon.”

“LIKE HELL WE’RE WORKING TOGETHER.” 

“You have no choice! The only fire mage other than you two is Romeo and he’s already away on a request of his own.”

“Well then wait for him to get back and then he and this dumbass can go.”

Natsu whipped his head around to glare at her, seething, “What did you just say, demon?”

(Y/N)’s eyes had an amused glint in them as she questioned, “Oh, and how am _I_ the demon? You’re the one that goes and wrecks everything.”

Makarov sighed as the fighting continued. Erza then stood and stepped close to (Y/N) and Natsu.

“Enough. You mustn’t fight anymore.”

Natsu looked at Erza’s signature stare and cowered slightly. (Y/N) on the other hand laughed and turned to Makarov, asking what the request would be.

“It’s an S-class request that--”

“No way! I get to go on an S-class job? I’m all fired up!”

(Y/N) glared at Natsu before turning to Makarov, “But master, why would they label it as S-class if they were going to ask for two specific wizards?”

“Who cares? I’m going on an S-class. I don’t even care if it has to be with you. This is gonna be awesome!”

“Master, I would like to refuse.”

“(Y/N),” Makarov started, “I’m afraid that’s not a choice. I would need at least one S-class wizard to take part in this.”

(Y/N) took another look at the energetic dragon slayer and groaned.

\--------------------------------------

“Can you stop being so loud?” (Y/N) hissed.

“You didn’t have to come!” Natsu countered.

“Uh, yeah I did. It’s an S-class quest. You’re not S-class, which means--”

“I don’t care what it means. Just don’t get in my way!”

(Y/N)’s eyes twitched in annoyance and she mumbled to herself. They had reached the village and saw that it was covered in ice. They were tasked with melting the ice and saving the villagers. 

“Why is this S-class?” (Y/N) questioned the leader.

“You see,” he responded, “there’s a large animal that’s guarding the ice and--”

They both stopped when they heard Natsu yelling at something. They rushed over to where he was and saw that the animal was holding Natsu up by his ankle. (Y/N) huffed before casting a spell and pushing the monster back. She aimed another spell where Natsu’s feet were held, burning the dragon slayer slightly in the process. He was dropped seconds later and hit the ground. 

“What gives?!”

(Y/N) smirked before shrugging her shoulders and mocking, “What? All I did was save you. A little fire shouldn’t hurt you, oh so powerful fire dragon slayer.”

Natsu glared at her before stomping over to the village and using his fiery breath to start melting the ice. (Y/N) rolled her eyes and followed suit. They had somehow silently made it a competition to see who could melt the ice faster, and they both tried their hardest to beat the other. (Y/N) finished her section first, a smug smile on her face as she looked at Natsu. 

\--------------------------------------------

“Can you at least _try_ to not be so pathetic every time you ride a train? You make Fairy Tail look bad.”

Natsu went to argue back, but he was silenced by the train making an unexpected jolt. (Y/N) smirked at the dragon slayer’s weakness and tried to relax, but her peace was interrupted by Natsu’s constant groans. 

“Hey, knock it off! I’m trying to sleep.”

He continued to moan, and he looked like he was going to puke, so (Y/N) did the one thing she could think of to shut him up. She glared at him once more before punching him in the gut. He folded over and passed out, staying silent the rest of the ride. Suddenly the train rocked and stopped. There was a big bang. (Y/N) jumped at the noise and went to look out the window. 

Upon seeing huge boulders fall all around the train, she gasped and ran over to Natsu. He was, of course, still unconscious, so (Y/N) ran towards the conductor’s room to see if they were okay. She found that the conductor had been hit by one of the smaller rocks and laid over her chair unconscious. (Y/N) then ran through the carts to check on everyone. She found that everyone was unharmed except for two who had been grazed by a boulder and another three who had hit their heads on the windows by their seats. She went to leave the train to get help and medical assistance for everyone, but massive boulders blocked the exits. (Y/N) tried to squeeze between the small openings between carts, but she couldn’t fit. She gasped once she realized what was happening. 

“We’re stuck here.”

(Y/N) tried to keep her cool and distract herself from the situation, but she couldn’t concentrate. You see, (Y/N) is claustrophobic, so being trapped in a crowded train is very far from her ideal. 

“Don’t panic,” (Y/N) mumbled to herself. “Everything will be fine. Everything will be fine. Everything will be—”

She was cut off when she heard more rumbling followed by another bang, signalling that another boulder had fallen on the train. She decided to return to her seat, as all her stuff was there and she thought that she’d be able to distract herself with the book that she brought. 

By that point, Natsu had regained consciousness and looked over to see the empty seat across from him. 

“Did she leave me on the train?!”

He jumped up from his seat and was met with a very dark train. 

“What the hell?”

The dragon slayer looked around and saw that the windows were blocked by rocks and there were huge dents in the roof. (Y/N) had returned to the bench and saw that Natsu was finally awake. 

“What the hell is going on? _What did you do?”_

(Y/N) scoffed before declaring, “I didn’t _do_ anything. A bunch of rocks fell when we were passing the mountain.”

Natsu looked around and started to walk towards the front of the train. 

“Where are you going?”

“To check on the conductor. Duh.”

(Y/N)’s eyes twitched and snapped, “I already did that, smartass. She’s passed out.”

Natsu turned to her and crossed his arms before sarcastically asking, “Well then what’s the plan, idiot?”

(Y/N) growled and went to snap at him, but another boulder fell and made a loud boom. She was reminded of the situation and started to sniffle. Natsu looked at her and raised an eyebrow. 

“What’s up with you?”

“N-Nothing. I’m just—”

She was cut off by a gasp when she looked around the cart and saw all the boulders. She could feel the air getting harder to take in as she started to hyperventilate. Some of the smaller rocks fell inside the train, one hitting (Y/N) on the foot. This seemed to push her over the edge, as she collapsed to her knees and started shaking. Natsu looked at her with his eyebrows furrowed. 

“Why are you like that?”

(Y/N) couldn’t answer because she was struggling to breathe. 

“No way,” Natsu laughed, “you’re totally scared!”

“Shut the fuck up,” (Y/N) snapped. “You’re one to talk.”

“Yeah but at least mine is because I’m a dragon’s son. Yours is just pathetic.”

(Y/N) glared at the dragon slayer and forced herself up, her hands engulfed in flames. He dodged her punch just in time. 

“What’s wrong?” Natsu taunted. “Is the scary S-class wizard afraid of the dark?”

“You idiot. It’s not the dark!”

Natsu’s smirk faltered before looking around and trying to find what she was talking about. 

“What else is there?”

“I’m...claustrophobic.”

“Classy bone click? What the hell is—”

“ _Claustrophobic_ you dumbass. It means that I don’t like small spaces.”

Natsu laughed and pointed at her, choking out, “Seriously? That’s so sad. You’re supposed to be strong.”

“Don’t ever question my strength,” (Y/N) seethed. 

Another loud bang vibrated the train, causing (Y/N) to fold down on the floor. Natsu seemed to also be affected by the subtle vibration, slinking to the floor and struggling to speak. 

He recovered after a few minutes and looked over to see that (Y/N) was rocking with her hands on her knees. Something in him twisted. 

“Hey, uh, are you okay?”

“No I’m not okay! We’re stuck in this death trap and there’s no way out. I’m gonna die here and it’s gonna be with _you!_ ”

Natsu rolled his eyes and made his way closer so he was standing right in front of her. (Y/N) raised her head and saw that Natsu was giving her a serious look, but she couldn’t decipher what he was going to do. 

“Listen, if you’re just gonna make fun of me—”

Natsu stayed silent and slowly crouched in front of her. Multiple bangs were heard, and the roof started collapsing even further. She continued to shake, flames erupting from her body and flaring out in multiple directions. 

“Hey lady,” a man yelled, “knock it off!”

“(Y/N), it’s gonna be okay,” Natsu soothed. 

“Don’t do that!” (Y/N) hissed. 

“Don’t do wh—”

“Don’t try to pretend you care when I know that you’re enjoying every second of this. You probably think it’s so funny that you found out that I have this stupid fear and you can’t wait to tell the whole guild about it.”

A woman interrupted, “Yeah that’s if we even get out alive!”

(Y/N) gasped and started rocking. Natsu sighed before continuing to crouch down in front of her. 

“I, uh, know that you probably don’t believe me, but I really just want to help you. You’re a part of Fairy Tail, so we gotta look out for each other.”

“You said it yourself, nobody is friends with me anyway. It shouldn’t matter.”

Natsu chuckled, “Plenty of people are your friends. I know Lucy sure likes you. She’s always yelling at me for annoying you. Besides,” he said as he sat down next to her, “what kind of family would I be if I didn’t help? Fairy Tail is family, so we gotta be there.”

“Natsu?”

“Hm?”

(Y/N) leaned into his side and closed her eyes as she tried to level her breathing. He smiled to himself and put his arms around her shoulders and gently pulled her closer to comfort her. (Y/N)’s ears perked up and she stood straight up before running off to another cart. 

“(Y/N)! Where are you going?”

Natsu started running after her, scaring the passengers. She had stopped by a window near the front of the train. 

Natsu asked out of breath, “Why’d you run off like that?”

“Look,” she said as she pointed to a little hole. “We can try to escape through there.”

Before Natsu could ask any further questions, flames engulfed her fists. She punched as hard as she could, and the boulder started to move a tiny bit. Natsu looked on in wonder. 

“How’re you doing that?”

“I’m using my fire to heat the rock enough so that it cracks and then using physical force to make it shift. It would only work if there was already a hole, so I couldn’t do it earlier.”

Natsu took a stance and used his fire dragon roar to heat the rock further while (Y/N) continued to punch it. The passengers started cheering as they saw the opening getting bigger. (Y/N) gave the rock one last strike and it broke apart completely, creating a big opening in the window of the train. 

“Hey look at that,” (Y/N) joked, “we actually worked together.”

Natsu chuckled before jumping out the window and shouting, “Man I hate trains.”

(Y/N) and Natsu helped the passengers off the train and guided them to the nearest station. They looked at each other after seeing that they were a long ways away from Magnolia. 

“I guess we’re walking.”

—————————-

They opened the door to the guildhall and were greeted by the usual chaos. Makarov approached the two and coughed to gain their attention. 

“I heard there was an incident on the train. I’m glad you were able to get out safely.”

(Y/N) smiled and nodded to the master and Natsu gave his signature grin and a thumbs up. 

“Hey guys! I’m so glad you’re okay!” Lucy yelled as she ran up to them. 

“Of course we’re okay,” Natsu started. “I was there to help all the people out.”

“If I recall, you only helped a little,” (Y/N) remarked. 

“What are you talking about? I totally destroyed that boulder!”

“No you didn’t! I did! All you did was breathe on a rock!”

“Well it was more than you did!”

“How could it have possibly done more than me? I was the one that destroyed the rock, dumbass.”

“What did you just say to me?!”

The fire wizards started yelling and casting spells at each other. Everyone in the guildhall sweat dropped as they watched the two argue. 

“I see nothing has changed,” Ezra observed. 

Mira started giggling, “I wouldn’t be so sure.”


	21. 12 Days of Christmas

_On the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me…_

“Hey (Y/N), look at all the fish we caught!”

The (H/C) girl looked towards Natsu and Happy and saw that they were carrying a huge net full of fish. She giggled at them before going over to help them carry it to their house. 

“You should totally stay for dinner tonight. We’re making grilled fish!” Happy exclaimed.

“Fine,” she said, “but you’re using the stove this time, Natsu. You burned it all the last time with your ‘efficient’ fire cooking.”

Natsu hung his head in defeat before grinning and running towards the house. 

\-----------------------------

_On the second day of Christmas, my true love gave to me…_

“Happy, knock it off! That’s for (Y/N).”

The girl in question looked across the guildhall at the sound of her name and watched the bickering pair. She tilted her head as she tried to decipher what they were talking about. Lucy came over to her and held her head up with her arm. 

“It looks like they’re at it again.”

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen them fight this much.”

“You know it’s about you, right?”

(Y/N) looked at Lucy in shock before asking why. Lucy shrugged her shoulders. 

“Hell if I know, but your name’s been coming up in a lot of their fights.”

\-----------------------------

_On the third day of Christmas, my true love gave to me…_

“Hey Gray, what’s up?” (Y/N) asked as she approached the bar. 

The two had made idle conversation when Natsu came bursting through the guildhall doors. 

“(Y/N), fight me!”

Everyone groaned before going back to what they were doing before. Gray waved before retreating to his usual table with the rest of Team Natsu. (Y/N) sighed before turning to Natsu and knocking him down. She clapped her hands together and smiled down at him. 

“Natsu, not now, ‘kay?”

Natsu groaned as he picked himself off the floor.

\-----------------------------

_On the fourth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me…_

Lucy and (Y/N) were sitting in her apartment talking about ideas for Lucy’s next novel when they heard a tap on the window. Lucy huffed before yelling at Natsu and telling him to use the door.

“But I knocked this time,” Natsu defended. 

(Y/N) giggled before turning back to the paper that had their book ideas. Lucy pressed Natsu for a reason why he was at her window when Natsu shrugged.

“I needed to give (Y/N) something.”

“You couldn’t have waited until later?” (Y/N) asked through laughter.

“No way!”

Natsu grabbed something from his pocket and revealed it to be what looked to be a little kid’s drawing. (Y/N) took the picture and asked why she was getting it.

“Asuka and Happy drew it. They wanted you to have it.”

(Y/N) smiled and thanked Natsu before shooing him out the window. 

“What was that all about?” (Y/N) asked.

“They say kids can sense things,” Lucy replied slyly. 

(Y/N) blushed deeply before switching the topic back to novel ideas. 

\-----------------------------

_On the fifth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me…_

“Akane Beach? Natsu, it’s winter.”

“So? We can have fun inside the resort.”

(Y/N) looked to see that Natsu and Happy were already packed and ready to go. She smiled softly before rolling her eyes and eventually agreeing. 

\-----------------------------

_On the sixth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me…_

“What the hell is that?!” Lucy screeched.

“What are you talking about?” Natsu huffed. “It’s obviously a dove.”

“Why would you capture a dove?” 

“It’s not for you, Lucy!” Happy interjections. “It’s for (Y/N).”

“You were in on this, too?!”

(Y/N) laughed before walking up to Natsu and Happy and gently taking the squirming dove from Natsu’s hands. 

“I think the dove would be happier if it was able to fly freely. But thank you for showing me them. Now I’ll know that this special dove is flying all around the world.”

\-----------------------------

_On the seventh day of Christmas, my true love gave to me…_

“I made dinner!” Natsu shouted as he walked into the guildhall.

“Perfect!” Makarov exclaimed. “I’m starving.”

“No Gramps! It’s for (Y/N) only.”

“Then _why_ would you announce it to the whole guild, Salamander?”

Natsu huffed before grabbing you from the bar and dragging you back to the house. 

\-----------------------------

_On the eighth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me…_

(Y/N) and Natsu were strolling through the streets of Magnolia when you spotted a sweater in the window of one of the shops. She stopped in front of the glass and pressed her hands on it as she looked at the sweater more closely. Natsu looked at the back of her head and drifted over to the sweater before disappearing into the shop.

“Hey Natsu, I was thinking we could go to--”

(Y/N) looked around for the fire dragon slayer, but she was met with an empty street. 

“Where on earth did he go?”

Seconds later, Natsu returned. He was holding a small bag and handed it to her. She looked inside the bag and laughed. 

“Natsu, you didn’t have to.”

\-----------------------------

_On the ninth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me…_

(Y/N) had returned to her room when she noticed a big plant sitting on her bedside table. She walked out into the living room and questioned Happy.

“Where did this come from?”

“Natsu’s redecorating! He thought you would like that one.”

“Why is Natsu redecorating?” (Y/N) laughed. 

Happy shrugged his shoulders before floating onto the couch and drifting off to sleep. Natsu entered the house with three more plants, causing (Y/N) to giggle. 

“Natsu, why are you going through all this trouble?”

“I’m getting ready for the big change.”

(Y/N) froze before shaking it off. 

“Natsu, what on earth are you talking about?”

\-----------------------

_On the tenth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me…_

“I’m telling you, Lucy. I think he’s catching on.”

“I mean, does it actually matter if he does?” Lucy snickered.

“Yes!”

Natsu’s voice suddenly appeared, “What’re you two talking about?”

They both jumped at the sudden voice, (Y/N) frantically waving her hands in front of her face to brush off the question. Natsu looked at her with a raised eyebrow before grabbing some food out of Lucy’s fridge and leaving. 

“Hey! You can’t just steal my food like that and then leave!”

“I have something I need to get,” Natsu said dismissively as he shrugged and winked at Lucy. 

“Oh, well I guess that’s fine then.”

Natsu left and (Y/N) gave Lucy a quizzical look, inquiring, “Why did you let him off so easy? You didn’t even yell at him that much.”

“He seemed busy.”

\-----------------------------

_On the tenth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me… ___

__“(Y/N)!” Happy exclaimed. “Natsu and I got you something.”_ _

__“Why do you guys keep getting me stuff? Christmas is in three days.”_ _

__“But it’s the twelve days of Christmas. You’re supposed to give people gifts.”_ _

__“Natsu,” (Y/N) giggled, “that’s the twelve days _after_ Christmas. You’re not supposed to do it _before_ Christmas.” _ _

__“Really? Aw man. Now I have nothing to give you after Christmas.”_ _

__“Natsu, I don’t need anything.”_ _

__\-----------------------------_ _

___On the eleventh day of Christmas, my true love gave to me…_ _ _

__“Salamander, that doesn’t make any sense!” Gajeel shouted._ _

__“Yes it does! What do you know?!”_ _

__“Um,” (Y/N) hesitantly spoke up, “what’s going on?”_ _

__“I told Gajeel about how it’s supposed to be _after_ Christmas, so I said that I would skip a day so the final present would be _on_ Christmas, but he said it’s stupid.”_ _

__“You could always just stop giving the presents and then wait the two days. I already told you, Natsu. I don’t need presents.”_ _

__“Well then you get this!”_ _

__(Y/N) went to ask him what he was talking about when she felt his arms wrap around her. She giggled and returned the hug before Natsu pulled away and grinned._ _

__\-----------------------------_ _

___On the twelfth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me…_ _ _

__“(Y/N), tomorrow is Christmas.”_ _

__She looked at Natsu and nodded. He gave a wide grin and walked her backwards until she had her back against the wall._ _

__“I promised that I would give you something each day, so I’m not gonna stop on the last one.”_ _

__She smirked before tilting her head to the side and questioning, “Oh? What do you mean?”_ _

__He grinned and leaned into her and started kissing her neck. (Y/N) let out a soft gasp, realizing something, and softly pushed him away. Natsu looked at her with concern filling his eyes._ _

__“Are you...okay?”_ _

__She got nervous as she tried to find an answer to his question that wouldn’t tip him off._ _

__“Oh yeah! Of course! I’m just not feeling that well.”_ _

__Natsu continued to look at her before he held her cheek and kissed her forehead._ _

___I can’t have sex right now...right?_ _ _

__\-----------------------------_ _

___On Christmas day, my true love gave to me…_ _ _

__“Who did you get?”_ _

__(Y/N) giggled before leaning in to Lucy and whispering that she had somehow got Natsu for the secret Santa._ _

__“Man, you’re so lucky. I got Gajeel.”_ _

__“Oof. Did you find something?”_ _

__“Let’s just say that I’m glad this remains anonymous.”_ _

__The two laughed to each other silently as everyone started to gather around the large tree in the corner of the hall. The master coughed to gain everyone’s attention, successfully silencing them. They all sat down around the tree. There was a fight about who would be handing out the presents, but eventually everyone caved in and let Asuka hand them out with Natsu’s help. Asuka grabbed the first present and tried to read the nametag._ _

__“It says...um, Lily.”_ _

__Natsu checked over her shoulder and pointed to the letters, explaining that it was “Lucy.” Asuka blushed in embarrassment before running over to Lucy and giving her the present. Lucy opened the box and saw that it contained a notebook. She smiled before saying that it would be great for writing her new novel. Asuka struggled to read the next tag, but eventually guessed that it was Gray. Natsu gave Asuka a high five as a congratulations. Gray opened his present and saw that it was a scarf. He looked at it before noticing that Juvia had hearts in her eyes. Realizing that it was from her, he put up a disinterested facade and thanked her._ _

__Everyone had eventually gone except Makarov, Natsu, (Y/N) and Asuka. Asuka opened her present and saw that it was a new cowgirl hat. She squealed and immediately ran to her parents to show them. Makarov looked between (Y/N) and Natsu and said that one of them should go next. Natsu seemed to tense before assuring the master that he should go first. He agreed and opened his box to see that it was a picture drawn by a little child. He had immediately guessed that it was from Asuka, so he thanked her and turned to Natsu and (Y/N)._ _

__“Looks like you two are the only ones left. Who’s going first?”_ _

__“I think Natsu should open his last,” (Y/N) stated._ _

__“No, no. I think you should open yours last,” Natsu nervously pressed._ _

__They both looked at each other confused before continuing to insist that the other go last._ _

__“I have an idea,” Erza stated as she saw that it wouldn’t be resolved by themselves. “Why don’t you open them at the same time?”_ _

__They both looked at each other before reluctantly agreeing. Everyone looked on at the pair in anticipation, some with knowing looks on their faces._ _

__“Can you believe that they both got each other for the secret Santa? That’s so cute.”_ _

__“ _Actually_ ,” Lucy snickered, “Natsu went around asking everyone who had (Y/N) so he could trade for her.”_ _

__“Really? How come? Don’t they get each other presents anyway?” Wendy asked, clearly confused._ _

__“You’ll see,” Lucy sang._ _

__They were both handed their boxes by Asuka. (Y/N) looked up at Natsu and met his nervous eyes. She shrugged and counted down to open their boxed. At the same time they ripped at the wrapping paper. (Y/N) gasped when she saw a small velvet box laying inside the box. Tears started to form in her eyes as she looked up to Natsu. Natsu was, however, staring confused at the box in front of him. He slowly took out the thing that was inside the box and held it in his hand._ _

__“What’s this?”_ _

__“Uh, Natsu?” Lucy pressed._ _

__“Oh!” Natsu shouted as he remembered what was happening. He walked over to (Y/N) and kneeled down in front of her._ _

__“Natsu?”_ _

__“(F/N) (L/N), will you marry me?”_ _

__(Y/N) looked at him in complete shock. Natsu looked up nervously when he didn’t hear an answer._ _

__“Uh, (Y/N)?”_ _

__She jumped to him and held him the tightest she’s ever held him. She laughed before kissing him. Natsu grinned and hugged her just as tight._ _

__“Now, uh, who gave me this and what is it?”_ _

__He revealed the present to the whole group. All the girls gasped, along with a couple of the men._ _

__“How do you not know what that is, Natsu?” Lisanna finally spoke._ _

__Natsu shrugged as he waited for an answer. Makarov pushed Natsu to read what was on it. Natsu scrunched his eyebrows together as he looked at the small device. Lucy groaned at Natsu’s obliviousness before walking up to him and pointing to the small screen on it. He looked down at it and looked at the blue plus sign displayed there._ _

__“Natsu,” Wakaba chuckled, “I didn’t think you had it in you.”_ _

__Natsu continued to look confused._ _

Macao was the next one to speak up, saying, “Natsu, it’s a pregnancy test.” 

“Don’t you have to pee on those?!” Natsu shouted before dropping it back in the box. 

Everyone laughed at him before realizing that he still wasn’t getting it. (Y/N) laughed as she shook her head and walked up to him, taking his hand and gently placing it on her stomach. Natsu stared down at his hand before something clicked. His head whipped up to make eye contact with (Y/N). His mouth fell open and he stared at her in absolute shock. She just smiled at him lovingly. 

“You’re...really?”

(Y/N) nodded. In a split second, Natsu had lifted her off her feet and spun her around. He put her down and held both her cheeks in his hands before giving her a long kiss. They both couldn’t stop smiling at each other. Makarov laughed loudly, gaining everyone’s attention. 

“Well it seems like this had been a very memorable Christmas season. My children are growing up so fast.”

They both looked at each other again before hugging each other. 

They spoke to each other in unison, “I love you.”

“Merry Christmas, everyone!” Asuka yelled.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Do I know why I decided to write a Christmas one shot in the summer? No idea. Let's just blame it on the "Christmas in July" thing mixed with quarantine. Anyway, enjoy!


	22. Pokemon Go (College AU)

“No way!”

(Y/N) looked up from her textbook and raised an eyebrow at her roommate. 

“What are you screaming about now?”

Natsu beamed before shoving his phone in her face. 

“There’s a raid and it’s a Rayquaza! We totally have to go.”

“Natsu, you’re supposed to be doing homework. We have midterms next week.”

“Studying is for the night before. You should know that by now.”

(Y/N) rolled her eyes and shut her book. 

“You’re not gonna give this up, are you?”

Natsu gave a wide grin and tossed (Y/N)’s phone at her. She easily caught it and opened the app. Natsu looked over her shoulder and groaned. 

“Why do you never update your apps? You’re so bad at that.”

“Unlike you, I study and do work every day. I barely have any time to play.”

Natsu took her phone away from her and started updating all the apps. 

“Wait! Don’t update Spotify. I heard that it fucks up the formatting.”

Natsu raised an eyebrow and continued to update everything. He wandered into her room and sat upside down on her bed with his head hanging off the side. 

(Y/N) followed him so that she could put away her stuff and laughed when she saw his position. 

“You know, you have your own bed in your own room.”

“This one’s more comfortable,” Natsu said simply. 

“That’s because I bothered to get a decent mattress pad.”

“Oh ho ho. Look at you with your fancy eighty dollar mattress pad,” Natsu teased. 

“It’s better than the five dollar one you bought from some shady guy on Craigslist.”

“Capitalist propaganda.”

“No that’s just you being cheap and stupid.”

Natsu looked at her accusingly (and upside down) and scolded, “You didn’t even update your banking apps. Who’s cheap now? When was the last time you even bought something?”

“I’ve been using the cash I got for my birthday.”

Natsu focused on the screen again and smiled when the apps were finished updating. He rolled off the bed and handed (Y/N) her phone before waving her out the door. 

“Natsu—”

“No complaining! The raid starts in ten minutes and it’s across campus.”

(Y/N) groaned before grabbing her ID and exiting the suite. 

“Keys?”

“Check.”

“Then why didn’t you lock the door?”

“Oh,” Natsu chuckled, “forgot about that.”

Natsu quickly walked back down the hall to their suite and locked the front door before fast walking back towards the exit. (Y/N) stood in front of the elevator, but Natsu insisted that taking the stairs would be faster. 

“We are on the _eleventh floor_. There’s no way in hell—”

“It’s just _down_ the stairs, (N/N),” Natsu laughed. “It’s not like we’re climbing up eleven flights.”

(Y/N) grumbled before following him. She called after him when he started running down the stairs as fast as he could. 

“Natsu, you’re gonna fall and hurt yourself!”

“Let’s go, slow poke.”

(Y/N) tried her best to keep up with him, and they eventually made it down to the main entrance, (Y/N) completely out of breath. Natsu dragged her outside and started to tug her towards the raid. 

“Natsu...I can’t walk any further.”

Natsu bent down so she could crawl on his back. She wrapped her arms and legs around him and steadied her breathing. 

“Wow you’re like super out of shape.”

“Shut up. I don’t have time to go to the gym everyday like you. I barely have time to eat.”

“That’s what you get for taking eight classes,” Natsu countered. 

They had eventually arrived at the raid location and set up just in time for it to start. 

“Fancy seeing you here, Dragneel.”

(Y/N) groaned as she saw Gray walk from the crowd. 

“I can’t believe you guys are letting Pokémon Go form a rivalry between you two. Can’t you just get along?”

“Not even a chance. He’s Valor.”

“Yeah and you’re Mystic,” Natsu sassed. 

“(Y/N), Natsu! There you guys are,” Lucy cheered as she jogged towards them. 

“Hey Lu,” (Y/N) waved. 

“How come you’re here? I thought you had a midterm to study for.”

“‘Studying is for the night before. You should know that by now.’” (Y/N) echoed Natsu’s logic to her. 

Lucy turned to the pink haired guy and started shouting at him, “Don’t force your bad school habits onto her, Natsu. You’ll stress her out even more than she already is.”

“Hey (N/N), do you have any berries?” Natsu asked as he completely ignored Lucy. 

(Y/N) opened her app and scrolled through her inventory to find that she had a couple. She told Natsu and he looked over her shoulder to see which types. 

“No way. You’re kidding right?”

“What?”

“How can you possibly only be at level eight?”

“I told you: I don’t have any time.”

“There’s no way you can beat a Rayquaza like that. You’re like, totally useless in this raid.”

(Y/N)’s eyes twitched as she tested, “So you’re telling me I could’ve been home studying still?”

“(N/N), do you want me to walk you back? You really shouldn’t go that far alone this late,” Ezra spoke up. 

“Don’t worry about me, Erza. You’ve been waiting for this Pokémon to spawn for over a month. I’ll just take a nap here.”

“Uh, here?” Lucy asked. 

Upon hearing this, Natsu bent down, allowing (Y/N) to crawl onto his back again and rest her head on one of his shoulders. 

“Woah so are you two finally going out now?” 

(Y/N) and Natsu both raised their eyebrows at Lucy and responded in unison, “Why would you think that?”

Lucy sweat dropped and brushed it off. (Y/N) had drifted off and woke up when she heard cheering. 

“You’ve gotta be kidding me!” Natsu yelled. 

“That’s so unfair,” Gray mumbled. 

“I think it’s exactly how it was supposed to go,” Lucy sang as she smirked. “Right Erza?”

“Indeed. Instinct is the best team.”

(Y/N) giggled quietly as she watched her friends bicker.

“Yeah yeah. Laugh it up,” Natsu muttered. 

They eventually all waved their goodbyes and headed back to their dorms. (Y/N) stayed on Natsu’s back for the rest of the way and was put down when they reached the front door. 

“You have your ID, don’t you?”

“Uh, no. But I know you have yours,” Natsu said as he smiled sheepishly. 

(Y/N) rolled her eyes and swiped them both in. 

“We’re taking the elevator this time,” (Y/N) demanded. 

Natsu chuckled and pressed the buttons while guiding her into the elevator. (Y/N) sighed and leaned on Natsu for support. 

“Aren’t raids like a cooperative thing? Why would it matter if you were on different teams?”

“The gym was open after. Instinct stole it.”

(Y/N) hummed and closed her eyes. 

“Don’t fall asleep yet,” Natsu chuckled. 

The elevator dinged and they both stepped out and made their way down the hall to their suite. Natsu unlocked the door and pushed his roommate inside before turning on the lights to the kitchen. Natsu saw that she was still a little pissed off, so he opened his phone. 

“Woah, no way!”

(Y/N) gave him an unimpressed look before warning, “I swear Natsu, I’ll kill you if you drag me out for another raid.”

“No, look! I found the cutest Pokémon ever.”

(Y/N)’s curiosity took over and she walked over to him and leaned in so she could see his phone. She rolled her eyes when she saw that it was just a picture of her. 

“Very smooth.”

Natsu laughed before helping her into her room. 

“You still want tea?”

(Y/N) scoffed before making an offended face and responding, “I always have to have my bedtime tea or else I won’t sleep.”

Natsu snickered and put on the kettle and brought her tea to her room, handing it to her as she sat on her bed. She sipped the drink and breathed in the warmth, enjoying the silence before she heard a big bang from Natsu’s room. 

“Natsu, what the hell are you doing? It’s two o’clock in the morning. Someone’s gonna complain!”

Natsu shuffled into her room and rubbed the back of his head. 

“I _might_ have just popped the screen off my window.”

“Oh my god.”

“And it also might’ve just fallen eleven stories down to the ground.”

“Natsu!”

“I know, I know. I’m going to get it now.”

He put his shoes back on and started to walk down the hall when he heard a voice call out.

“ID!”

He rushed back into his room and grabbed his ID before continuing his quest. About twenty minutes later he returned. 

“Took you long enough.”

“Yeah I didn’t know exactly where it was, so I just kinda wandered around in the general area of below the window and found it in a bush. I had the help of the people on the ground floor calling out through their window.”

(Y/N) giggled and continued to sip her tea. 

“How are you _still_ drinking the tea?”

“I like to enjoy it.”

“How many times did you microwave it because you forgot about it?”

“...Twice.”

Natsu shook his head with a smile on his face before walking back into his room, making another loud bang as he popped his screen back into the window. 

“Hey Dragneel,” a voice shouted from a window above his room, “I know you’re in love with your roommate but can you fuck a little quieter?”

“Fuck off, Redfox!”

(Y/N) stomped into Natsu’s room and threw a pillow at him before scolding him again. 

“You’re gonna get us a noise complaint and then I’ll kill you.”

She went over to the window and yelled at Gajeel as well, telling him that he needed to sleep. She shut the window and pulled down the shades before crossing her arms. 

“He started it.”

“No, _you_ started it. Now be quiet.”

She walked back into her room, unaware of someone shadowing her until she turned to shut the door and Natsu was standing right behind her. She let out a surprised squeak and jumped. 

“What could you possibly want now?”

He grinned and jumped on her bed. He hung upside down again and patted the spot next to him. (Y/N) giggled before climbing next to him and hanging upside down as well. 

“Man I was really hoping to get that Rayquaza.”

(Y/N) turned so her head was facing him and smiled. She opened her phone and swiped towards her Pokémon bag and clicked. She handed him her phone and Natsu gasped when he saw what she was showing him. 

_“You have a Rayquaza?!”_

(Y/N) smirked before taking her phone back. 

“How did you get that?!”

“You know that guy in my gender studies class?”

“The guy that’s actually there to learn or the one that thinks taking the class will get him laid?”

“The guy who wants to get laid.”

“What did he do?”

“He saw me playing while I waited for the professor to come in and he said he’d trade me for a Gengar.”

“Why on earth would he want a Gengar for a Rayquaza?”

“Because Natsu,” (Y/N) snickered, “he was trying to flirt so he’d get laid.”

Natsu gasped overdramatically, “You didn’t.”

She laughed at him and shook her head. 

“So?”

“You’re actually gonna trade it to me?”

“Of course. I don’t really even play. I just like looking at all the cute ones.”

Natsu rolled his eyes and handed her his phone, telling her to pick out which one she wanted. She eventually picked one. 

“Really? You wanna trade a Rayquaza for a Pichu?”

“It’s cute.”

Natsu cackled and sat up before hopping off the bed. He stood over her and pulled her off the bed. 

“Natsu,” (Y/N) whined, “I wanna go to bed. I have four classes tomorrow.”

“I just thought you’d wanna know that there’s a huge spider on your bed.”

“WHAT?”

(Y/N) started screaming when she felt something crawling on her hip. She screamed at Natsu to get it off and Natsu helped once he got her to stay still. 

“Dragneel!” Gajeel screamed. “Knock it off!”

Natsu looked at (Y/N) and they both started laughing. (Y/N) pushed him out of her room after a few minutes and told him to go to sleep. He smiled and kissed her forehead before retreating back into his room. 

“Thanks for the Pichu!”

“Oh yeah,” Natsu remembered before rushing into his own room and whipping the window open. “Hey Redfox, I got a Rayquaza!”

“Shut the fuck up!”


	23. Natsu x Reader: Switching Bodies

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi all! This is inspired by episode 19. Enjoy!

It had happened again. (Y/N)’s eyes twitched as she whipped around to face Natsu.

“You idiot! Look what you’ve done now.”

“I didn’t realize it would do this,” Natsu defended.

(Y/N) groaned before picking up the flyer and pointing to the writing on it, “This is the exact same flyer that was here the last time it happened, and you _still_ read it.”

“Wow Natsu,” Lucy gasped, “I can’t believe you. Now what are you two gonna do?”

“We change back!” (Y/N) screamed.

“How do you suggest we do that?” Natsu shouted back. 

(Y/N) let out a frustrated scream and flopped on a chair near their usual table. She looked around and saw that Levy was nowhere to be seen. 

“I don’t wanna be like this forever,” she whined. “I actually liked having my own body.”

“Why do I feel so weird?” Natsu suddenly questioned.

“You idiot! It’s the same reason why I feel unbearably hot. It’s our magic.”

“Yeah but like...what am I feeling?”

(Y/N) rolled her eyes and seemed to calm down (as much as she could given the situation), but that was quickly forced away when she felt fire begin to fall out of her mouth. 

“Natsu, I’m gonna kill you!”

He didn’t answer, so she looked up to see that he was trying different fighting poses.

“What the fuck are you doing?” (Y/N) snapped.

“I’m trying to use your magic,” Natsu stated matter-of-factly. “It’s not working.”

“Yeah I can see that.”

“Hey (Y/N),” Gray started, “what even is your magic?”

“That should be the least of our worries right now.”

“Hey (N/N), look what I can do!” Natsu exclaimed as he went to do a flip.

(Y/N) rolled her eyes when he landed on his back and groaned in pain. 

“Oh yeah. That’s right,” Macao spoke up. “She’s more of a hand-to-hand wizard.”

“Damn. I thought I’d finally be able to flip if I was in your body.”

“Yeah, and how did that work out, smartass?”

Natsu rubbed the back of his head and apologized. 

“Lucy, do you know what Levy did last time to switch you back?”

“I think. I can certainly try something.”

Natsu started to complain about how hot he was, which caused everyone to sweat drop.

“How can you possibly be too hot?” Gray questioned. “You’re a fire wizard.”

Natsu rolled his head back before he stood up and started to unfasten the cloak that (Y/N) always wore. 

“Natsu, don’t you dare.”

Everyone looked at Natsu in anticipation. They had never seen the wizard without her cloak on, so everyone was curious. Natsu, of course, didn’t listen to (Y/N)’s request and continued to take the cloak off. The guys’ mouths hung open as they took in the sight of (Y/N)’s outfit. She usually wore black shorts with buckles down her leg paired with a gray crop top. They all gulped.

(Y/N) was seething, “I’m gonna kill you.”

Natsu noticed the stares and started to feel uncomfortable. It clicked in his head and he quickly put the cloak back on.

“No looking at my girlfriend,” Natsu scolded. 

Lucy had returned holding a book in her hands. She placed it on the table and started flipping the pages. Meanwhile, (Y/N) continued to glare at Natsu, who chuckled nervously. 

“So, uh,” Natsu awkwardly asked, “you wanna go out tonight?”

“Shut up.”

Natsu groaned again, complaining about the weird feeling he was experiencing again. Lucy looked at him curiously and pressed Natsu for a further description. 

“I don’t know, but I don’t like it!”

“Yeah, like I _love_ feeling like I’m melting inside.”

Suddenly, everyone heard a clang. They looked over to Natsu to see that he was playing with the chains that were wrapped around his ((Y/N)’s) wrists. He started trying to cast a spell with them, but he wasn’t successful. 

“Wow, (N/N), you really committed to a theme,” Wakaba snickered. 

(Y/N) glared at the wizard before huffing and stomping over to Natsu, yanking the chains so Natsu fell to his knees. 

“Knock it off! This is serious.”

“Well we can’t really do anything until Lucy finds something, so we might as well have fun, right?”

(Y/N) forced her eyes shut and clenched her jaw. 

“I would kick you right now, but I don’t want to hurt my body, so consider yourself lucky.”

“How do you work these things anyway,” Natsu asked as he completely ignored her threats. “Do you just throw them?”

“No my boy,” Makarov spoke up as he entered the guildhall. “It’s chain magic. It’s the magic that was used against us by Precht...well Hades.”

“You would think you would know that already,” (Y/N) muttered. “It’s not like you haven’t seen it before.”

“Yeah but we never go on requests together, so I only see it when--”

(Y/N) quickly made it over to Natsu and punched him in the gut. Everyone blinked a few times before their faces turned a deep pink. 

“Uh,” Lucy eventually said, “ignoring _that_ , we have about ten minutes left.”

“Ignoring what?” Natsu curiously asked.

“She’s talking about your stupidity,” (Y/N) stated.

“You’re supposed to be nice to me, you know.”

“I’m allowed to be mean when you’re being an idiot and get us into situations like _THIS_.”

Natsu crossed his arms and turned away from everyone. They heard quiet sniffles, causing the whole guild to look at Natsu. Natsu seemed just as surprised.

“Why the hell am I crying?!”

(Y/N) sweatdropped before walking over to him and patting him on the head.

“I have heightened emotions,” (Y/N) explained.

“Yeah but I’ve never seen you cry before.”

“I don’t think any of us have,” Macao stated in shock. 

“I can control myself, unlike Mister Sniffles here.”

“I wanna get out of here!” Natsu screamed as he reached for the cloak again. “I’m too hot.”

“I got it!” Lucy exclaimed. “Both of you get over here.”

(Y/N) dragged Natsu over to Lucy. She started to recite a spell.

“Woah this feels so weird.”

(Y/N) punched Natsu in the arm before telling him to be quiet. They started to glow and then a bright light erupted and filled the guildhall. It quickly disappeared. Everyone was looking at the pair expectantly. 

Natsu looked himself over and gave a grin when he saw that he was back in his own body. He looked over at (Y/N) to see that she had her eyes covered by her hands.

“Uh, (Y/N)?” Lucy quietly asked. “What are you doing?”

“Praying that it worked.”

Natsu chuckled before slowly guiding her hands off her face and to her sides. She slowly opened her eyes and let out a relieved breath when she saw Natsu in his own body looking at her with an amused face. 

“We’re back to normal?” (Y/N) asked hopefully.

“Seems like it,” Makarov observed. 

“Good,” (Y/N) said as she smirked at Natsu, making him cower slightly. 

She quickly used her chains to wrap around his ankles and threw him across the guildhall. Everyone looked on and started laughing.

“Don’t do that ever again!” (Y/N) chided.

“I have one question,” Natsu declared.

“What could you possibly want now?”

“Hey Gramps, do we still get paid for the request?”

(Y/N)’s eyes twitched.


	24. Natsu x Reader: Groceries (Modern AU)

It happened basically everyday, so she didn’t know why she was about to cry. Maybe it was because it was her birthday, maybe it was the fact that she was working a twelve hour shift, maybe it was just because she was so sick of people yelling at her while she tried to do her job. Either way, tears threatened to show. 

_I can’t show weakness_ , she thought. _It’ll only make him happier._

(Y/N) did what she usually did - frantically apologize and offer to get her manager.

“You better be getting your manager. Honestly, if you don’t even know how to turn off your register light when you have to call for help then you shouldn’t keep yourself alive.”

Complete shock ran through her body. She couldn’t help herself. 

“Are you serious? Did you really just say that?”

“Stop wasting my time and get your fucking manager already!”

(Y/N) stiffly nodded and walked over to the customer service desk, talking to the worker there. 

“Hey Karen,” she tried to joke. “You’ll never believe what that guy told me.”

“What was it this time? Too young to work here, Miss I-Look-Like-A-Twelve-Year-Old?”

“No, this one is even better. He basically told me that I should kill myself because I didn’t turn my light off while I was dealing with that lady whose card declined.”

“Jesus Christ. Manager?”

“If you would be so kind. Mind if I stay over here until he gets here?”

“Make yourself comfortable. I’ll call Mike.”

About ten minutes went by and Mike finally appeared. (Y/N) gestured over to her register and quickly explained the situation. He looked bewildered and rushed over to the screaming customer.

“Sir, what seems to be the problem?”

“This bitch thought it would be okay to leave her light on when she was dealing with another customer. It took fucking forever and I demand something free to make up for it.”

“Sir, she’s been instructed to keep her light on as long as she’s working unless I tell her to turn it off.”

“Well that doesn’t fix the ten minutes that I’ve wasted waiting in this fucking line.”

“Dude,” another voice spoke up. “Just chill it already.”

Everyone looked to see Natsu, another manager. He was known as the “cool” manager, and everyone loved him. Basically every girl had crushes on him. (Y/N)’s excuses for her crush were “who wouldn’t” and “everyone else does.” Natsu was young, and there was no doubt that he was also very attractive. He made his way over to the register and crossed his arms. 

“How old are you? Fifty?”

“What does my age have to do with anything?!”

“Because you’re acting like a two-year-old. And I’m sorry, but it’s federal law that I can’t sell booze to anyone under 21.”

“What did you just say to me, you little punk? I asked to speak to a manager, not some wise ass--”

“Actually,” Natsu started as he smirked devilishly, “I _am_ the manager.”

(Y/N) and Mike looked back and forth between Natsu and the customer before looking at each other. The customer shouted that he wanted to speak to Mike, the more “less asshole” manager as he put it. 

Natsu spoke over his shoulder, “Hey Mike, isn’t your shift over in five minutes? Why don’t you head up to the break room and gather your stuff so you can leave on time tonight.”

Mike looked bewildered but smiled and went to walk away. He wished (Y/N) good luck and disappeared upstairs. Natsu looked at the long line that had formed behind the man and sighed. 

“Hey Audrey, can you open up on 14? Thanks.”

The other customer service worker quickly stepped to the empty register and started ushering customers over from (Y/N)’s line. 

“See? She still didn’t even turn off her light.”

“I think my friend told you earlier that she can’t without explicit permission. And I didn’t hear anyone give her permission.”

“I’m never coming back here again,” the customer threatened. 

“Hmm. You know what, I really don’t think my boss would care all that much if you didn’t.”

(Y/N) stood awkwardly behind Natsu at her register as she waited for the situation to resolve. She mouthed her apologies to the people waiting in line behind the screaming man. An older lady just waved it off. Some of the other cashiers started turning around to watch the commotion. 

“Now, the only times we give away free items are with coupons or if the price match is way off.”

“I demand--”

Natsu shrugged his shoulder and cut him off, “Corporate policy.”

The customer was seething at this point and started yelling at (Y/N) again. Natsu sighed and protectively stepped in front of her. 

“You really shouldn’t threaten one of my cashiers in front of me. That’s like, rule number one. Besides, I already heard that you made some nasty comments.”

“I’ll be contacting your store manager right after this to have you fired.”

“Store manager? Wait, let me go call him for you so that you don’t waste your phone minutes.”

He walked over to customer service, guiding (Y/N) with him, and asked Karen to page the store manager. He looked down to the confused looking (Y/N) and grinned.

“Now what kinda manager would I be if I just let you stand there alone with an angry customer?”

“A...typical one?”

Natsu laughed and leaned on the service desk. 

“Happy birthday by the way,” he joked.

“Gee. Thanks.”

The store manager stomped over to the service desk and glared at Natsu.

“What kind of bullshit did you pull now? I was busy with stock ordering.”

“This guy told (Y/N) that she shouldn’t be alive because she didn’t turn off her light. Oh and he called her a bitch and me a punk! Can you believe that? Am I a punk, Nathan?”

“Yes, you are. Why couldn’t you handle him yourself?”

“He demanded to see you. Oh and also, I don’t want to.”

The three of them returned to the register, Nathan asking the customer to explain what happened.

“Shouldn’t your fucking workers have told you already? This is ridiculous.”

“I just want to know your side of the story.”

The customer then retold his exaggerated story. Another register started blinking, and Natsu sighed before pushing himself off the lane behind him and walking over to clear it.

“Don’t leave out any details when you tell me about this later,” he whispered and patted her shoulder.

(Y/N) tried to keep a straight face, but she couldn’t help but smile at Natsu’s childlike demeanor. 

“And your _manager_ was giving me a hard time and refused to sell me my beer.”

Nathan looked back to (Y/N), and she discreetly exhaled and sniffed. He turned back to the customer and raised an eyebrow.

“Have you been drinking?”

“What the fuck does it matter? I’m a paying customer and--”

“Oh,” Natsu exclaimed when he returned to the register, “that’s what that smell was! Here I thought it was just you.”

Nathan looked over at Natsu with a blank look and Natsu just grinned. 

“Sir,” Nathan started again, “I cannot sell you the alcohol if you are intoxicated. It leaves us open for a lawsuit.”

“Why the fuck are you coming after the alcohol now? If she didn’t leave her light on then I wouldn’t have to yell. You’d sell it to me then, so what’s the point in keeping it from me now?! She never said anything about me getting the fucking beer!”

“We have the right to refuse sale to anyone we believe is intoxicated. Oh and she might not have said anything, but I _believe_ I did, yes?” Natsu smugly asked. 

“I want all of you fired, starting with that wise ass.”

(Y/N) gasped, fearing for her job. She needed this job. She couldn’t afford to get fired. Natsu seemed to notice her anxiety and tapped Nathan before motioning to the supply closet. He nodded and turned back to the customer. Natsu led (Y/N) to the supply closet and leaned against the doorway as she started pacing.

“I can’t get fired, Natsu. I need the money. I can’t believe this guy. Why won’t he just leave?”

Natsu closed his eyes and allowed her to rant, but quickly snapped them open when he heard a small sniffle. He scanned the room and saw that (Y/N) had made her way into the corner and sat folded up on the floor. 

“Come on, (Y/N). Don’t cry near the mops.”

He slowly walked over and crouched beside her. He gently pulled her back from the wet mops and set her so she was leaning against a (mostly) empty wall. He sat down in front of her and crossed his legs.

“You don’t have to be here. I bet you need to calm down too.”

“Me? Nah. That guy’s a dick.”

“Did you forget that he said he was getting us fired?”

Natsu started laughing and smiled at her, reasoning, “Who, that guy? Please. He can complain all he wants but as soon as they get wind that he was drunk they’ll ignore him.”

“How are you able to stay so calm?”

“Well let’s see,” Natsu playfully thought out loud. “I’m basically the guard dog to all the cashiers up here, which means I get called whenever someone gives any of you a hard time. So I get the _greatest_ situational practice. Basically the only time I get to talk to customers is to explain to them why they’re wrong and why they should stop bullying some fourteen-year-old on his first day. Besides,” Natsu grinned and continued, “who would wanna fire me? I’m employee of the month!”

(Y/N) seemed to calm down and started laughing quietly. Natsu smiled and jumped up.

“See? It’s not so bad. Let’s go check in with that dude. I kinda wanna watch this go down.”

They exited the closet, (Y/N) wiping her face one last time, and leaned against the wall by the service desk. Natsu turned to Karen and asked what they missed.

“They completely shut down the lane and moved everyone over to Audrey. This guy hasn’t stopped yelling and honestly he’s giving me a headache. I feel bad for Sean. He’s been trying to ring with this guy screaming behind him.”

“Remind me to buy him a bag of chips later,” (Y/N) spoke up.

Nathan looked over to the service desk and motioned to the phone. Karen mouthed “police?” to him, and Nathan discreetly nodded. 

“No fucking way!” Natsu cheered. “Oh Karen, you have _got_ to let me call.”

Karen laughed at him, but still unlocked the service desk door so he could go behind the counter and use the phone. The cops eventually came and “escorted” the customer out. As they passed the service desk, the customer glared and threatened (Y/N), saying that she better be extra careful coming to work and going home from now on. (Y/N) stared at him wide eyed and turned to Karen for confirmation that that’s what he actually said. 

“I would work on a restraining order while you’re down at the station because _no one_ threatens anyone here,” Natsu declared. 

The cops nodded and said that they’d do a follow-up. Once everything was “normal” again, all the cashiers let out a breath, especially Sean. 

“Man that guy gave me such a bad headache. I don’t get paid enough to do this.”

“Shut it, Sean. You’re sixteen.”

“Oh yeah? What does that have to do with anything, Kyle?”

Nathan clapped his hands to gain everyone’s attention. He told them that he expected them all to still perform their jobs and to talk about customers respectfully. Once he retreated upstairs, Natsu clapped his hands like him and caught everyone’s attention.

“Anyway, now that the buzzkill is gone,” Natsu snickered, “I’m ordering pizza for everyone and making sure you all get out right on time today.”

Everyone laughed and cheered before turning back to work. Natsu returned to the service desk and raised an eyebrow when he saw (Y/N) make her way back over to her register. She started to sign on again when he approached her.

A customer turned the corner and mouthed, “Are you open?”

(Y/N) turned on her light and went to wave her in when Natsu leaned in behind and turned off her light, telling the customer that she was on break. He saw that she was getting angry, so he told her that he would ring her up while he pushed (Y/N) back to the service desk.

“Hey Karen, do you have any idea why I just got pushed off my register?”

“He’s probably giving you a break,” she said and pointed to Natsu coming back to the desk. “You can ask him now.”

“Hey Natsu, what gives?” Karen spoke up.

“Karen,” (Y/N) whisper-yelled. 

“Now what did I do? Honestly, people need to leave me alone.”

Everyone could clearly tell that Natsu was joking because he had his signature grin across his face. (Y/N) quietly asked him why she was shut down again, Natsu grinning and leading her towards the service desk door. 

“You’re gonna be trained for customer service for the rest of the day.”

“But why am I--”

“You’ve worked ten hours already, (Y/N). And you still have two left. That’s like, a manager shift. Just relax the rest of the day, ‘kay?”

“But--”

“Consider it your birthday present from the company because god knows that they’ll never get you anything.”

(Y/N) smiled wide and thanked him before being dragged behind the service desk. She would ask little questions about how things worked.

“You know you’re not actually being trained, right?” Karen laughed.

“What do you mean? Natsu said--”

“Natsu’s just saying that so we can give an excuse if they ask why you’re back here. He’s giving you the rest of your shift off without actually sending you home.”

“I guess there’s a reason why he’s everyone’s favorite,” (Y/N) giggled.

“Oh please, he wouldn’t do this for everyone. He’d probably just send them on an early break or something.”

“What do you mean?”

“Come on, (N/N). He obviously has his eyes on you.”

“...What?”

Karen multitasked as she started processing a lottery ticket and explained why it was obvious.

“Are you telling me you haven’t noticed how he’s always buzzing around your register?”

“He’s a manager. He’s supposed to be doing that.”

“Or what about how he always makes conversation with you.”

“He’s Natsu. He does that.”

“He knows it’s your birthday. And I didn’t hear anyone saying anything to you about it around him.”

“He probably just looked in the employee--”

“And _why_ would he just casually do that?”

(Y/N) looked over to see that Natsu was goofing around with one of the younger cashiers before he groaned when he saw the self checkout start flashing. She started blushing.

“Do you really think so?”

“If you don’t believe me, why don’t you ask him yourself?”

“What? Because I--”

Karen cut her off when she went on the intercom system, announcing, “Natsu to the service desk. Natsu, service desk at your convenience.” 

“Why would you do that?!”

Karen smirked and went back to the customer. (Y/N) started grumbling to herself, trying to think of what to do in her situation.

“Yo.”

She jumped when she saw Natsu leaning against the desk looking at her. He raised an eyebrow.

“So what’s up?”

“Oh, uh, nothing. What about you?”

Natsu chuckled, “Why did Karen page me?”

“Oh!” (Y/N) mentally slapped herself, completely forgetting to come up with an excuse for that. “She, uh, wanted to know if you wanted me to restock register bags?”

Natsu hummed in thought and shrugged his shoulders, saying “I guess” before asking her to throw a box cutter to him. He disappeared back into the supply closet and returned with a carriage filled with boxes of plastic bags. He went to say something, but his attention was caught as a cashier called for him per a customer’s request. Natsu turned to (Y/N) and joked. 

“See? Now I gotta let this guy yell at me until he actually lets me talk.”

She let out a small “sorry” before she started filling bag racks, making quick conversation with the cashiers as she gave them more bags. 

“Man you’re so lucky,” Sean groaned. “Hey you wanna get me some aspirin for my head? There’s a travel package right at the end of my register.”

She used the credit card that Sean had slipped her to buy the medicine and then handed it to him before apologizing for being the reason why he was in pain. Sean just waved it off and pushed her along when he caught Nathan staring out from the second floor office window. She finished restocking, clearly feeling Natsu looking at her most of the time. She returned to the service desk and ran up to Karen. She just looked at (Y/N) knowingly and nodded her head.

“You don’t look like you’re training,” Natsu drawled as he once again leaned against the desk. 

She stood up stiffly and apologized before going to return to Karen. He just started laughing.

“Relax. I was kidding. Say, how long do you have left?”

“One hour and thirty seven minutes.”

“Well I’m glad I’m not the only one who has a minute-to-minute countdown,” he taunted. 

“I think we all do,” she playfully threw back.

“I don’t think everyone here is as good at math as you think they are.”

They both laughed, so Karen spoke up and teased, “Now now lovebirds. Let’s keep it professional during shift.”

(Y/N)’s ears turned red and she went to turn around when he felt a small tap on her shoulder. She looked back to see a smiling Natsu. 

“So what’re you doing for your birthday?”

“Oh, well I’m going out to the bar tonight with my friends and then I’m probably gonna watch a movie if I’m not hammered.”

“You don’t have to work tomorrow, do you?”

“Of course I do. I’m here six days a week.”

“I wouldn’t blame you if you called in with a hangover. It happened on my 21st. I got smashed and then had to drag my ass to work for a six o’clock shift the next day.”

“Wow they did you dirty.”

“It was during that management switch, and we all know what a big dick the other guy was before Nathan took over.”

“Oh god don’t remind me. He told me I wasn’t even allowed water at my register during a heatwave.”

“So what time are you going out?”

“Around nine. But knowing my friends, we’re gonna bar hop like last year and end up staying out until three.”

“Well if you’re up for it, maybe--”

“Mister Natsu! I’m out of nickels.”

“Duty calls.”

Natsu pushed himself off the desk and unlocked the money room for Wendy. 

“He was totally gonna ask you out, just so you know.”

“Karen,” (Y/N) hissed, “you’re supposed to be helping that guy with a return.”

“Who said I can’t do that and tease you at the same time?”

Natsu casually returned over to the desk and waved (Y/N) back over.

“You know,” Karen spoke up, “you probably look awfully suspicious to Nathan coming over here every two minutes.”

He waited for the customer to look away before he quickly flipped Karen off. They all laughed, Natsu turning back to (Y/N). 

“As I was saying, I get off about a half hour after you if you wanna grab something to eat.”

(Y/N) stood there shocked and looked at him with wide eyes. He checked his phone quickly before he slipped it back in his pocket. He looked up at her and cackled before winking. 

“Just let me know before shift ends. I know a really good burger place.”

“I mean, I’m probably gonna have burgers at the bar, so--”

“They have milkshakes,” Natsu sang. 

She smiled and quipped, “Well I mean, if they have _milkshakes_ I guess I can’t refuse.”

They both grinned before Natsu grabbed his keys off the counter and made his way over to a blinking register. 

“Told you,” Karen smugly stated.

\------------------------------------------

“Now that’s just not fair,” Natsu pouted when they met up in the breakroom. “Now you’re dressed better than me and I’m stuck in my uniform.”

“Do you not bring a change of clothes?”

“Why do that?”

“Well I used to do it for any emergency clients that would come up, but now I mostly do it so customers won’t see my uniform and bother me when I try to leave.”

“Emergency clients?”

“I used to work for a sitting service, so I would need to rush over as soon as work let out to babysit their children or house or pets or...plants.”

Natsu laughed loudly and asked, “Plants? People pay other people to watch plants?”

“To water them!” (Y/N) defended. “Either way, it paid so I did it.”

Natsu hummed and smirked playfully before going back into the men’s locker room and grabbing his keys. 

“You clocked out right?”

“Natsu, my shift ended over forty five minutes ago. Of course I did.”

“Hmm. I guess I should clock out soon then.”

“Didn’t your shift end like fifteen minutes ago?”

Natsu looked at his phone clock and debated with himself before looking up and smiling.

“Nah. I’ll give it five more minutes.”

“Are you serious?” (Y/N) laughed. “No wonder why Nathan is always aggravated with you. Do you do this all the time?”

“Not my fault that the cashiers needed me past my shift.”

“Natsu, you’ve been up here since the minute your shift ended.”

“Nathan doesn’t know that,” he said as he smiled mischievously. 

She rolled her eyes and walked out of the store and towards the parking lot.

“So where is this burger place?”

“It’s not far. Get in.”

“What am I supposed to do with my car?”

“I’m not gonna leave you stranded, (Y/N),” Natsu teased. “I can drive you back to pick it up.”

As soon as the car turned on, the music started blasting full volume.

“Is that...the Little Einsteins theme song?”

Natsu immediately turned it down and rubbed the back of his head.

“I needed to get in a happy mood before I walked into that hell hole.”

(Y/N) couldn’t stop laughing and turned it back on. Natsu looked at her weird, but she just smiled back at him.

“What? I had a long day. Now I need to get in a happy mood.”

He shook his head as he smiled and pulled out of the parking lot. They arrived at a bar down the street.

“A bar? This is the burger place?”

“I’m telling you. These are the best burgers in this town,” he assured.

They went inside and Natsu immediately went over to the bartender with white hair and started talking. He waved (Y/N) over and sat down at the bar.

“You know, we really shouldn’t be drinking if we both have to drive.”

“Drink? Not here. They have the shittiest booze. I only said their burgers were the best.”

(Y/N) pointed over in the corner to an unconscious brunette and argued, “Well she seemed to enjoy it.”

“Believe me,” the white haired woman spoke, “we don’t have good booze.”

Natsu stretched his arms and leaned back on the barstool. 

“God it feels so good to be out of there.”

(Y/N) groaned and replied with, “Tell me about it.”

“So when is your day off during the weeks?”

“It’s randomly decided. I could have Tuesday one week and then Friday the next week. They once did a Monday as my day off and then I worked the rest of the week, but then my day off for the next week was a Saturday.”

“So you basically worked two full weeks without a day off?”

She gave him a thumbs up and sighed before asking him how his schedule was decided.

“Well, it’s usually a need based schedule. They don’t want three managers on shift, so--”

“But we _need_ three managers on shift. I mean, you guys are running all over the place.”

Natsu shrugged and laughed, agreeing with her. 

“So Natsu,” the bartender asked, “did anything interesting happen today?”

“Oh right. (Y/N), this is Mira. And I think I’ll let her answer your question.”

Mira looked at her expectantly, so (Y/N) did a quiet “oh” before relaying the events of the day. 

“But it wasn’t even your fault. You didn’t know that her card would decline. How would you even know to shut your light off?’

“She can’t shut it off anyway.”

“You sound like you need some cheering up, (Y/N).”

“It’s her birthday.”

“Oh really? I think that calls for a special birthday meal. Consider this on the house.”

“Oh no. Really, you don’t have to do that.”

“You know I’m paying anyway, right? Let her give it to you.”

Mira teased, “You’re just saying that so you only have to pay for yours anyway. Cheap.”

Natsu blushed and huffed. Both Mira and (Y/N) started laughing. Their burgers came and (Y/N)’s eyes lit up when she took her first bite. Natsu chuckled, his eyes holding an “I told you so” look. They ate and made idle conversation before Natsu’s phone started ringing.

“Is that the girlfriend?” Mira playfully asked.

“Yeah, okay, sure. Laugh it up. You know I’m single.”

He picked up the phone and (Y/N) immediately recognized the angry voice as Nathan. 

“Yeah, yeah. Won’t happen again. Promise.”

He hung up the phone and laid his head on the bar.

“What did you do this time?”

“I left my manager card on the table in the breakroom.”

“Honestly, Natsu. How haven’t you been fired yet?”

Natsu turned to (Y/N) and gave her a fake offended look before defending, “Because I’m the best worker there.”

“Carol’s been there for forty years.”

“Fine, it’s because I’m the fastest ringer.”

“Oh yeah? I think that’s not true at all.”

“Why?” Natsu baited. 

“Because I work there.”

He razzed, “Oh yeah? Then I guess I’m the one who knows the codes the best.”

“Golden yam?”

“4091. Sunbirts squash?”

“4777. Snowpeas?”

“4092. Yucca root?”

“4819.”

“Wow, grocery store employees have a very...niche way of flirting.”

They both looked to Mira, (Y/N) with an embarrassed look and Natsu grinning.

“You’re just jealous because bartenders flirt by quizzing each other on drink orders. And to provide a believable answer,” he said, clearly joking, “I’m pretty sure management is afraid that all the girls would strike if I was fired.”

\-----------------------------------------------

They drove back to (Y/N)'s car a little while later, blasting the remix of the Wonder Pets theme song.

“Thanks for bringing me there. You were right. It was the best burger I’ve ever had.”

“I know where all the best food is.”

“Well it would make sense since you’re always trying to eat secretly behind the service desk.”

Natsu gasped, “People actually know I do that?”

(Y/N) rolled her eyes, saying that it was obvious to all the cashiers. Natsu walked her to her car despite (Y/N) pointing out that he only parked ten cars away. He just laughed and insisted, and it wasn’t like (Y/N) was complaining, so she agreed. (Y/N) pulled out her keys and went to unlock the door and turned around to thank Natsu again, and she noticed he was a little closer than a few seconds ago.

“You okay?”

“You did know that this was a date, right? I just realized I never actually said that.”

“Is that even allowed?”

“Who cares? You’re 22 and I’m 24. What I do on my own time isn’t corporate’s business.”

“Oh well then I _guess_ it’s okay.”

Natsu rolled his eyes and kissed her cheek before going to turn around and leave. With a sudden burst of confidence, (Y/N) tugged on Natsu’s hand before pulling him closer and bringing their lips together. Natsu smiled into the kiss and slowly backed her up so she was leaning against the side of her car. They heard a cough and broke apart to see Nathan crossing his arms. 

“Natsu, I swear to god if you distract our best employee because you can’t control what’s in your pants I _will_ fire you.”

“But, Nathan, how would I distract myself?”

(Y/N) couldn’t help but giggle and waved her goodbyes to both of them. She started her car when she heard a tap on her window. She raised an eyebrow at Natsu, but he just grinned.

“Don’t go picking up any guys tonight bar hopping, promise?”

She laughed and nodded before Natsu leaned inside the window and kissed her again.

“Oh, and happy birthday.”


	25. Natsu x Reader: Fake Dating

Natsu and (Y/N) sat on the couch, Natsu’s head laying in her lap. 

“So whaddya think of the others lately?”

(Y/N) looked down and stopped stroking his hair to look at him confused. Natsu laughed and reminded her about the constant comments about the two of them dating.

“Oh yeah,” she laughed, “it’s certainly amusing.”

Natsu sat up and turned to look at her with a devilish smirk. 

“What are you doing?” (Y/N) giggled.

“We should totally pretend that we’re dating to mess with them.”

“Why would we do that?”

“To mess with them, duh.”

“How would we even do that?”

“Well we could always just act like some of the couples we know. Like Gajeel.”

(Y/N) shook her head, commenting, “I don’t think acting like Gajeel would get us very far. What about Elfman?”

“I am not talking about being a ‘real man’ the entire time.”

“I’m not saying that,” (Y/N) spoke through laughter. “But he’s actually really attentive. I mean, we could always go by _Gray_.”

Natsu grimaced and looked at her offended. (Y/N) just smirked. 

“New plan: we do our own thing.”

“Yeah? And how do you plan to do that when neither of us have ever dated each other before?”

“But you dated someone else before so should you--”

“Are you forgetting that I dated the coldest and most unemotional wizard on the planet?”

“Okay fine,” Natsu pouted. “Let’s come up with a plan.”

\------------------------------------------------

“Hey everyone!”

Fairy Tail casually waved at the pair and went back to what they were doing. Some of them did a double take when they saw that the pair was holding hands. Lucy’s face held a mischievous smile as she approached them. 

“So,” she slyly started, “how have you two been?”

Natsu and (Y/N) looked at each other before shrugging their shoulders.

“Happy ate my dinner last night. And then Natsu ate my breakfast.”

Lucy sweatdropped and chided Natsu for stealing her food before looking back at them. 

“Anything else happen?”

They let out a synchronized “no” before letting go of each other’s hands and going their separate ways. (Y/N) went to the bar to get some food, and Natsu sat at the usual table waiting for her. 

“So what’s up with you two?” Mira tittered. 

“What do you mean?”

“Nevermind,” she sang. 

(Y/N) grabbed her food and brought it over to the table where Team Natsu was sitting. Natsu immediately started picking at her food, causing (Y/N) to go to slap his hand away on instinct. She caught herself though, remembering they were supposed to be acting like a couple. She took in a deep breath and faced him.

“Would you like some of my food, _honey_?”

“Well duh,” Natsu said, oblivious to the plan they were supposed to be following. 

(Y/N) rolled her eyes and pushed her plate in front of him. 

\------------------------------------------------

“Okay, new plan,” (Y/N) said annoyed. “You follow my lead and don’t stray.”

“I thought it worked pretty well,” Natsu shrugged.

“A new rule: no eating my food!”

“But you offered it to me.”

(Y/N)’s eyes twitched.

“Natsu, I love you, but if you steal my food one more time you’re gonna regret it.”

Natsu simply shrugged and responded coolly, “Well then don’t offer it to me next time.”

“You’re unbelievable.”

\---------------------------------------------------

“They’re watching,” (Y/N) stated as she casually scanned the guildhall. “Quick, hold my hand.”

“But we already did that.”

“You idiot. Hold both of them.”

“What’re you--”

(Y/N) scoffed and did it herself. She swung them and smiled at him, giving him a serious look, trying to prompt him into acting the same. Natsu let out a small “oh” and grinned back at her.

“Do you see them?” Lucy asked from the usual table. “Are they really going out now?”

“Well it’s about time,” Gray drawled. 

“I think this is a great thing for mister Natsu. They look very happy.”

“So, uh, what now?” Natsu asked.

“I’m...not really sure,” (Y/N) nervously laughed. 

“What?!”

“I never got this far! My ex barely touched me!”

“You’re ruining the plan, (N/N).”

“I am not!”

Gray and Lucy sweatdropped when they saw the couple quietly bickering about something, but they couldn’t hear because they were so far away. 

“Well it seems they haven’t _completely_ changed.”

\--------------------------------------------

“Natsu!” Happy exclaimed. “You didn’t come home last night. I was so worried.”

Lucy whipped her head towards Natsu and (Y/N).

“Oh yeah. Sorry buddy,” Natsu sheepishly replied while rubbing the back of his head. “I just got caught up with things and forgot to let you know.”

(Y/N) walked over to the table and lazily sat down. 

“Hey guys, what’s up?”

Lucy tried to act casual as she said, “Do you know where Natsu went last night?”

“He was over my place,” (Y/N) shrugged. 

Gray spit out his drink. Lucy’s mouth hung open. 

“Are you guys okay?”

Natsu had made his way over to the table and put both his hands on (Y/N)’s shoulders as he stood behind her.

“Whatcha talking about?” 

“N-nothing, nothing,” Lucy said as she waved her hands frantically. “Just girl stuff.”

“Then why is Popsicle here?”

“Listen, Pyro,” Gray seethed, “you wanna--”

Lucy quickly punched Gray in the stomach from underneath the table. He looked at her, ready to shout, but he followed Lucy’s gaze to see Natsu kiss (Y/N)’s cheek before walking away. 

“So, uh, anything new happen with you?” 

(Y/N) raised an eyebrow. She looked between the two of them and smirked to herself. She playfully pondered for a minute before she answered. 

“Well, I tried making a cake for Erza, but Natsu distracted me for the whole thing, so it never happened.”

“Anything else?” Lucy pushed. 

(Y/N) shook her head.

“Nothing too new.”

\-----------------------------------------------------------

“Did you see that?” (Y/N) excitedly asked as Natsu and her walked down the streets of Magnolia. “We totally had them!”

“This is actually kinda fun.”

“Should we tell Happy that it’s just for fun?”

Natsu quickly spoke up, “No way. He ate my fish.”

(Y/N) rolled her eyes.

“Hey are we still going to the park tonight?”

“Of course we are,” Natsu chuckled, “Saturday nights are always park nights.”

(Y/N) smiled brightly and rushed him to her apartment to gather the picnic stuff. Once she packed a small basket, she grabbed a blanket and pushed him out the door. They arrived in South Gate Park and set up by a large tree. Natsu and (Y/N) started eating a couple of the snacks they brought and made idle conversation. Little did they know, Lucy and a couple of Fairy Tail members were spying on them. 

“I’m telling you,” Lucy started, “they’re totally a thing now.”

“Salamander? In a relationship? He doesn’t have the brains.”

“Juvia thinks that they are a great couple.”

“I do too,” Mira gushed. “The classic friends to lovers right in front of our eyes!”

Natsu had continued to stuff his face when he saw (Y/N) shiver. 

“You okay?”

“Yeah I’m fine. I guess I just thought that it would be a little warmer.”

Natsu hummed before lifting his arm up. (Y/N) smiled and immediately snuggled into his side. 

“You’re warm.”

Natsu chuckled and pulled her closer into his side. 

“Look at them! This is perfect.”

After a few minutes, (Y/N) had drifted off, leaving Natsu to enjoy the picnic himself. 

“You always do this,” Natsu whispered as he laughed at his best friend’s sleeping figure. 

(Y/N) cuddled closer to Natsu in her sleep, smiling at the warmth. He looked at her and smiled before kissing the top of her head. She stirred and groggily looked up, smiling when she saw Natsu grinning at her. 

“Why don’t I get you home before you fall asleep again?” Natsu joked. 

He pulled her up and gathered all the picnic stuff before leading her out of the park. 

“We gotta follow them.”

“Lucy, I don’t think--”

“Don’t you want to see? We’ve been waiting three years for this to happen.”

Everyone reluctantly agreed and followed the pair in secret. 

“You know,” Natsu spoke, “you never dress warm enough.”

“That’s because I know you’ll be there to warm me up.”

The dragon slayer laughed and continued to pull her through town. He noticed her shivers again and smiled.

“Here,” he said as he unwrapped his scarf from his neck and tied it around hers.

(Y/N) smiled softly up to him, silently thanking him as they continued to walk to the apartment. 

“He gave her his scarf.”

“Holy shit.”

Once they got to her apartment, (Y/N) returned his scarf to him. Natsu instinctively kissed her forehead before laughing at something she said. 

“This is too cute,” Mira gushed.

\------------------------------------------------

Natsu, (Y/N) and Happy all entered the guildhall and were met with expecting faces. 

“Uh, hello?” (Y/N) hesitantly greeted. 

“We know what’s going on with you two,” Gray spoke up. 

Natsu and (Y/N) looked at each other and sighed before (Y/N) turned to the group and started to speak. 

“We’re really sorry for--”

“And we want you to kiss,” Lucy continued.

“...What?”

“We were spying on you last night, and you were being all lovey dovey, but then all you did was kiss her on the forehead and walk away!”

“Uh, we were?”

“Of course you were. Cuddling, kissing, sharing your scarf. It’s obvious at this point, so there’s no sense in hiding it any more. We just want you to kiss.”

“Listen, Lucy,” Natsu started nervously, “I don’t think you guys—”

Lucy ignored him and instead pushed his back hard enough to get him and (Y/N) nose to nose. Both of their cheeks turned a deep red. Natsu turned his head so that (Y/N)’s nose was on his cheek. 

“Guy, seriously, I don’t think—”

“Natsu, you either kiss her in front of us,” Mira started before a smirk appeared on her face, “or you’re banished from getting food from the bar.”

Natsu’s face paled at the thought of no food and looked back to (Y/N) whose blush was still apparent. She had stayed silent the whole time, and Natsu was beginning to get concerned. 

He whispered to her so that only she could hear, “Hey, are you okay?” 

“Y-yeah.”

Natsu looked over at Mira and stated sternly, “Fine. I’ll just cook at home then.”

“Natsu,” (Y/N) finally whispered back, “you shouldn’t bluff like that with her.”

Lucy groaned, “Come on. It’s just one kiss. It’s not like you guys don’t do it already.”

They both looked at each other and sighed. 

“For food?”

“For food.”

Natsu’s hand made it up to her cheek. He slowly pulled her closer to him before their lips met for a soft and quick kiss. They both pulled back and slowly opened their eyes. Once they had processed what they did, their blushes reappeared. Natsu couldn’t stop staring at her, which made (Y/N) blush even more. 

“Finally!” Mira screamed. “That was so cute.”

(Y/N) laughed lightly and joked, “Well at least you can still eat here.”

Natsu smiled back before he kissed the top of her head. 

“I wasn’t really all that worried about that.”


	26. Natsu vs Algebra (High School AU) [Requested]

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was requested over on another site, so I hope you enjoy!

“I’m telling you, Natsu. The answer is negative two!”

“No it’s not. It’s clearly a positive two!”

(Y/N) groaned and flipped to the problems page in the textbook and pointed out the rules. She guided him to the negative examples and tried to explain it to him. Natsu looked down at the problem again and scoffed.

“It’s two.”

“It’s _negative_ two.”

“Algebra is stupid. Why do we even need this?”

(Y/N) rolled her eyes and continued to help him. He let out a groan and stood up from his seat and stretched.

“I give up,” he said as he surrendered. “I can’t do this anymore.”

“We have a test tomorrow. We have to do this.”

“Well then I’m not going tomorrow. I’ll take the make-up one.”

“You know just as well as I do that Mister Makarov doesn’t do make-up tests. You have to take it tomorrow.”

Natsu walked over to a nearby wall and pressed his head against it. 

“Come on Natsu,” (Y/N) coaxed, “we can take a break after we finish the next couple problems.”

“It’s fucking two!”

“Natsu, it’s negative two!”

He went and walked towards the door, opening it while huffing.

“Where do you think you’re going? We’re not even done with this problem yet.”

“I’m going to get a coffee or something. I can’t do math like this.”

“Can you make me a hot chocolate?”

Natsu softly closed the door and made his way downstairs to the kitchen. (Y/N) laid on her back and let out a breath.

“This is gonna take forever. I hate math.”

She got up off the floor and made her way over to Natsu’s bed before jumping on it. She laid like a starfish and closed her eyes. The door clicked and Natsu came back in holding a couple of mugs.

“Oh thank god,” (Y/N) breathed.

“You really gotta do something about that hot chocolate addiction you have there,” Natsu joked. 

She giggled and waved him over as she sat up, taking the mug and immediately going to drink it. She coughed and gasped.

“Be careful. It’s hot.”

“Thanks, _now_ you tell me.”

He shrugged his shoulder and countered, “I thought you’d be able to know that from the steam that’s coming off it.”

She sighed and crawled off his bed and sat back down on the floor with him. Natsu glared at the problem and started to complain.

“Why don’t we switch problems for now?” (Y/N) suggested. 

“Good. I hate that one.”

x+(3x-2)=18

“Oh I got this one. This one is easy.”

He didn’t even bother writing his steps down and puffed out his chest while punching the air.

“Five.”

(Y/N) laughed and agreed, shaking her head at his antics. She continued to sip her hot chocolate and sighed when she took in the warmth radiating off the mug. 

“Let’s do another one,” Natsu suggested. “I’m starting to get the hang of it.”

(2x)/(x=1) = (2 - (5/2x))

“Five?”

(Y/N) blankly stared at him with a raised eyebrow.

“...Negative five?”

She giggled and nodded.

“You keep forgetting to carry the negative. You just gotta be careful of that on the test because he knows that we all struggle with that.”

“He’s mean.”

“Oh come on Natsu. He’s your favorite teacher. You can’t deny it.”

“Yeah, yeah. Let’s do one more.”

“You up for a system?”

2x+3y=20  
y-2x=4

“Oh my god.”

“You got this.”

A few minutes came by and Natsu just stared blankly at his notebook. (Y/N) noticed and gently placed her hand on his shoulder before scooting closer to him.

“You gotta cancel out the 2x.”

Natsu turned his head to look at her and blushed when he saw that she was so close to him. She leaned over to his notebook and took his pencil to show him.

“See?”

He nodded, but he wasn’t really listening.

“...and then that leaves you with the value of y, which is 6. And then you plug in 6 for the y in one of the equations to find x.”

“You’re really good at this.”

“I hate math, so I do well out of spite so I don’t have to relearn everything.”

Natsu chuckled and leaned back. (Y/N) set her mug down and laid beside him.

“We’re gonna ace this test, and then we’ll be done for the term. Isn’t that cool?”

“I guess. I mean we still have three more to go after this.”

“Yeah but it’ll be one down!” (Y/N) stated excitedly. “We’ve started our first term of senior year!”

He rolled his eyes and turned his head so he was looking at her. A small smile appeared on his face as he watched her look up at the ceiling. She seemed to notice, as she turned her head to the side as well and grinned at him.

“What’s up?”

“Oh, uh, nothing. I was just thinking.”

She rolled so she was laying on her stomach with her head propped up on his hands.

“About what?”

“Just, uh, how great of a tutor you are! You’re really great.”

(Y/N) giggled. He loved that sound. His thoughts caused him to blush again and he turned away from her.

“Shall we call an end to this break and get back to work?”

Natsu groaned and begged, “Just a few more minutes without the combination of numbers and letters, please?”

She sat up on her knees and shuffled over to his bed. After reaching the bed frame, (Y/N) stretched her hands across the sheets to grab her highlighter. 

“What’re you doing?”

The (H/C) girl smirked at him before revealing, “I’m just picking out which problems to torture you with.”

Natsu sat up himself and made his way back over to the notebooks and pencils that were sprawled across the floor. She pointed to the page, and Natsu paled.

49 = [(3x+8)^2)/(x^2)]

“Fuck that.”

“The test is gonna have a lot of problems like this. You know how teachers are. We can’t really study the simple ones.”

“That’s just not fair. You know that’s my weak point.”

“That’s kind of the point, Natsu. We need to work on what we have a hard time on. This kind of problem will definitely be on the test.”

He grumbled and aggressively picked up his notebook and started scribbling. (Y/N) looked back and forth between the problem and her notebook, and she had her eyebrows knitted in concentration. 

“I’m definitely not doing this right.”

(Y/N) looked up from her notebook and smiled.

“Just try your best. We’ll compare answers and then figure out what to do.” 

An idea came into Natsu’s head.

“If I get this problem right, will you go out with me?”

Natsu looked up at (Y/N) and saw that her whole face was flushed. 

“Huh?”

“Will you go on a date with me if I get the right answer?”

“Well, I...I mean...are you sure?”

Natsu gave a big grin and nodded. She shyly looked off to the side and slowly nodded in agreement. After a few long minutes, (Y/N)’s eyes wandered upwards, and she was finally able to look at Natsu again. He wasn’t looking at her, but was instead looking super determined as he scribbled numbers on the page. 

“Okay. I think I got it.”

“Are you sure?” (Y/N) casually asked, but she was really hoping that he actually did.

He turned his notebook around and revealed a complete mess of different numbers and equations. 

“What the fuck did you do?” (Y/N) breathed as she tried to comprehend what she was seeing.

Natsu turned his notebook back to himself and raised an eyebrow.

“I solved it.”

“But that’s...nevermind.”

Once Natsu saw her face he realized that there was no way he got it right. He groaned in frustration and closed the book.

“This is stupid.”

“I mean, you never know,” (Y/N) started, trying to gather some hope. “You didn’t even tell me your answer yet.”

“What’s the point? I’m never gonna be able to do this test.”

(Y/N) crawled over to his notebook and picked it up, scanning for whatever was supposed to be the answer.

“How did you possibly get a solution that involves e?” 

“I tried u-substitution and it didn’t work at all.”

“But you didn’t even need to use that.”

“Well I know that _now_.”

“What if we make a new deal?”

“Huh? About what?”

“If you’re able to get at least a C+ on this test, we can go on a date.”

Natsu jumped up with a huge grin on his face.

“Seriously?”

(Y/N) laughed at his newfound enthusiasm and nodded. 

“Alright then, we better get practicing some--”

“Natsu, it’s past midnight and I’m really tired.”

“What? No! We have to work more if I’m gonna pass this thing.”

“I have to get home.”

“Fine, fine. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

She gave him a quick hug goodnight and drove off. 

“Man, this sucks. Now I have to teach myself.”

Natsu picked up the notebook and opened up the textbook again. 

\---------------------------------------------------------------

“You have a lot of guts making a deal like that with him,” Lucy snickered. “Knowing him he stayed up all night practicing.”

“Yeah (N/N),” Levy teased, “you must really like him.”

(Y/N) blushed and shushed them. They all walked into the exam room and sat down at their assigned desks. Natsu came in looking both exhausted and determined. 

“Told you,” Lucy mouthed.

He sat down at his desk in front of (Y/N) and turned around.

“So where do you wanna go? I know this really cool seafood restaurant that we could go to.”

“Why don’t you focus more on the test first, mister Dragneel,” the teacher spoke.

“Right, sorry,” Natsu said as he rubbed the back of his head. “I’m gonna do really well on this test, Mister Makarov.”

“You better.”

\----------------------------------------------------------------------

“And would you look at that!” Natsu shouted as he approached Levy and Lucy.

“What’s got you screaming so much?” Lucy asked.

“Oh nothing,” he dismissed. “Just this.”

He flashed the exam report to the group, revealing a B mark. Lucy looked shocked and Levy congratulated him. (Y/N) walked out of the exam room and went to talk to her friends when she saw Natsu standing with them.

“Hey Natsu, what’s up?”

Natsu gave her the paper and grinned while puffing out his chest.

“Wow, that’s a great grade! You must be so proud. You really worked super hard for it.”

“So where are we going?”

“To our next class?” (Y/N) questioned, confused.

“No on our date.”

(Y/N) let out a quiet “oh” as her ears burned. She looked to the floor and started to stumble over her words.

“Why don’t you guys go to that bakeshop that you like so much, (N/N)?”

\--------------------------------------------------------------------

(Y/N) and Natsu were sitting at a table in the corner of the bakeshop and quietly ate their desserts.

“You look exhausted,” she observed.

“Yeah,” Natsu sheepishly revealed, “I didn’t really sleep last night.”

“What time did you go to bed?”

“Yeah, uh, I didn’t.”

“Natsu! That’s super unhealthy. Especially this early in the year.”

“I guess I just really wanted to go out with you. It was worth it.”

Her eyes snapped to the ground as she felt her face heartbeat. 

“Really?”

“I mean, I’ve kinda liked you for a long time, and I figured I could hang out with you more if you were my tutor. Plus I get better grades now.”

She giggled and continued to eat her cake.

“Oh and by the way,” Natsu said as he smirked. “That problem was on the test, and I put two and he marked it correct.”

“No, because I put negative two and he marked it correct.”

“Two.”

“ _Negative_ two.”

“Even Mister Makarov sided with me, so it’s two.”

“Yeah well he marked mine right, so it’s negative two.”

“Whatever you say (N/N),” Natsu sang. “We all know who’s really right.”

“It’s negative two!”


	27. Natsu x Reader: Meeting Miss Migraine (Modern AU)

(Y/N) groaned as she sat in the only empty chair in the emergency room. She leaned her head back and closed her eyes, trying to distract herself from the discomfort. She cursed at the bright lights that weren’t helping the sharp pain in her temples. She heard the hiss of the person next to her and opened her eyes. She looked through the corner of her eyes, trying to seem discrete, but the pain in her head got worse when she tried. 

“So,” the man joked, “what’re you in for?”

(Y/N) turned to face him completely, giving up on being discrete, and pointed to her head.

“What about you?”

He chuckled before responding, “I burned myself trying to make dinner. Pathetic right?”

She gave a small smile back, scanning him quickly. He was average height and muscular. Messy pink hair, black eyes, burns on his arms. She admitted to herself that he was rather attractive as well. She slowly returned to her original position, closing her eyes and staring at the ceiling. She heard another hiss and opened her eyes.

“They’re seriously making you wait out here when you have burns?”

“‘Non-emergency’ was how they put it. I’ve been here for two hours already.”

“Figures. Usually it takes about two hours and forty minutes for them to take people with ‘non-emergency’ emergencies.”

The man looked at her shocked, asking her, “Are you, like, a nurse or something?”

(Y/N) laughed lightly, “If I was a nurse, I certainly wouldn’t be waiting here all night.”

“How do you know exactly how long people wait then?”

“Let’s just say this isn’t my first time at the rodeo.”

It was Natsu’s turn to look her up and down. She was (height) with (H/C) hair and (E/C) eyes. She seemed to be wincing pretty frequently. She could probably feel his stares because she explained her situation. 

“I have chronic migraines, so I come here a lot. Sometimes hospital grade painkillers are the only thing that helps.”

“Is it always as painful as it seems right now?”

“On the bad days, I can’t really breathe without a pain shooting in my head. Any time I try to move my eye it hurts. I just need them to hurry up and take me so they can give me the IV.”

“How often do you come here?”

“Probably once a week,” (Y/N) truthfully stated before she tried to joke, “My insurance company _loves_ me.”

He laughed quietly before agreeing, “I bet.”

“So what about you? How exactly did you end up burning yourself?”

“I was _trying_ to make a lasagna for someone’s birthday, but I forgot to put on oven mitts before I took it out of the oven. And then it fell on my arm when I dropped it.”

“That’s horrible. Don’t try to make lasagna again.”

He laughed and declared that he definitely wouldn't, claiming that lasagna was forever ruined for him. 

“Oh,” the man said as he held out his hand to her, “I’m Natsu by the way.”

(Y/N) smiled and replied, “I’m (Y/N). And I don’t want to be rude, but I don’t think shaking your hand would be good for your burns.”

“Oh right,” Natsu laughed as he retracted his hand. “I forgot.”

They sat in silence for a minute before she could hear Natsu hiss again. Her eyebrows furrowed before she stood up.

“I’ll be right back. Save my seat, ‘kay?”

She walked over to the check in desk and quietly went up to the woman working there. The nurse smiled at her, instantly recognizing her.

“Why hello there (Y/N). Back again? How's the pain this time?”

“A definite ten. I just got here though, so it’s gonna be a while. Does there happen to be extra cloth anywhere?”

The nurse nodded her head and disappeared behind the intake section dividers, quickly returning with the cloth. (Y/N) thanked her and joked with an “I’ll see you later” before returning to her seat. She handed the cloth to Natsu and instructed him to hold it on his arm. He looked at her questioningly before she explained. 

“You should keep the burn covered as much as you can to prevent pressure or friction worsening it. Here,” (Y/N) said as she handed him a couple pills, “take these too. They should help.”

He looked at her in wonder and shock, pressing, “How on earth did you get all that? They wouldn’t even look at me twice.”

“Being here once a week had its perks I guess.”

“Guess so.”

Natsu followed her instructions and placed the cloth on his arms. He leaned his head back in the seat and closed his eyes. He could hear (Y/N) try to do the same, but she moaned in pain and tried to cover her eyes from the light. Natsu opened his eyes and grabbed the scarf that he had been wearing when he came in and shifted in his seat so he was sideways and facing her fully. 

“You wanna take this?”

“Do you feel how hot it is in here?” (Y/N) laughed. “The last thing I need is a scarf.”

Natsu chuckled back and responded, “No, it’s to cover your eyes. It seems like the lights are bothering you.”

(Y/N) turned to him and looked at him in silence for a few seconds before quietly asking, “Are you sure? I can always just use my arm.”

“Don’t worry about it. Really. Us ‘non-emergency’ emergencies gotta stick together, you know?”

She giggled and hesitantly took the scarf, gently placing it over her eyes and whispering a quick “thanks.” They sat in silence, (Y/N) sighing in relief once she was able to escape the blinding lights. Natsu realized something. 

“Wait did you drive yourself here?”

(Y/N) shook her head and told him that a friend of hers dropped her off. 

“She didn’t wait?”

“Had to get to her residency. It’s not like it’s my first time here, so I don’t need someone to wait with me. What about you? Don’t tell me you drove yourself here with burnt hands.”

He let out a nervous chuckle. (Y/N) lifted the scarf off her face and looked at him accusingly. 

“No wonder why you’re in so much pain,” she muttered. “You’re an idiot.”

“Yeah I get that a lot.”

“Natsu Dragneel?”

Natsu looked up at his name and started getting up. 

“Well, that’s me. Finally,” he breathed before he turned to (Y/N). “It was nice meeting you.”

“Wait,” she exclaimed before she handed him back his scarf.

He looked at her and joked, “Keep it. I have to make a casserole next week.”

————————————

(Y/N) let out a frustrated groan as she sat in a chair in the back of the emergency room, cursing at the screaming child across from her. She glared at the mother, but she didn’t make any move to show that she noticed. 

“Hey there,” a voice spoke from beside her. 

(Y/N) rolled her eyes when she saw Natsu standing there with bandages on his arms and hands. 

“You know, I didn’t think you’d _actually_ be here again. What did you do this time?”

“This idiot got hit with a baseball and knocked him unconscious, so I had to drive his concussed ass here.”

Natsu laughed awkwardly and rubbed the back of his head. The friend spoke up again. 

“Are you the woman he met last time? He’s been—”

Natsu elbowed him in the stomach before he could continue. 

“Anyway,” Natsu recovered, “another migraine?”

She rolled her eyes and mocked, “What else would it be?”

“How long have you been here?”

“Only fifteen minutes,” she stated bitterly. 

“So you have two hours and twenty-five left.”

“Dude how the fuck do you know that?”

Natsu turned to his friend and told him that he learned it from (Y/N). He seemed to remember something. 

“Oh yeah. Gajeel, this is (Y/N). (Y/N), that’s Gajeel.”

“It’s nice to meet you. My friend actually came with me this time, too,” she laughed. 

“Hey (N/N), I got you an ice pack.”

They all turned to see a short girl with a ribbon in her blue hair. (Y/N) breathed out in relief and quickly took the ice pack. 

“Thanks, Levy. You’re the best.”

“Sharon gives her regards,” Levy teased. 

(Y/N) laughed and pointed to the two men in front of her, “Levy this is Gajeel and Natsu. You guys, this is my friend Levy. She’s actually studying to be a doctor.”

“Unfortunately I can’t give (N/N) the medicine she needs though without actually working in the hospital,” Levy said regrettably. 

Gajeel spoke up, “Can you look at this idiot at least? He has a concussion.”

“I _might_ have a concussion. We don’t know that yet.”

“Don’t make me roll my eyes, Natsu. It hurts too much.”

Natsu just laughed quietly. Gajeel looked down at (Y/N) and stared at her. She noticed and looked back at him with a curious look. 

“So what’s wrong with you?”

“She gets migraines,” Natsu answered for her, sensing that she was in massive amounts of pain. 

“Migraines? You come to the ER for headaches?”

Levy stepped in front of him and crossed her arms, defending, “For your information, (Y/N) gets migraines so bad that she can’t breathe without puking. It’s called chronic migraines, and it’s very common.”

“Uh, right, well we’re gonna go sit--”

Natsu pointed to the empty seat next to (Y/N) and smiled before asking, “Is this seat taken?”

(Y/N) silently motioned towards the seat, and Natsu happily sat down next to her.

“So how exactly did you happen to come back when I was here?”

“What can I say, it was destiny.”

“Actually, it was Gray whipping a baseball at your face,” Gajeel grunted. 

Natsu rolled his eyes at his sarcastic comment and spoke softly so that he wouldn’t aggravate (Y/N)’s migraine more.

“How come you’re back so early? It hasn’t even been a full week.”

“It’s not like it happens on a set time schedule. Believe me, it’s not polite enough to do that. I could be in here Friday and come back on Sunday.”

“That’s...horrible.”

“Yeah, tell me about it. Oh,” (Y/N) said as she started rummaging through her bag and pulling something out, “here’s your scarf back. I didn’t think I’d actually run into you again though.”

They both shared wide grins and started talking about nothing. 

“I agree that it was destiny,” Levy spoke quietly beside Gajeel as she looked on fondly. “She’s been fretting about giving him back his scarf since she was here last time.”

“And that idiot hasn’t stopped talking about her.”

Levy and Gajeel looked at each other and smiled.

“Well, I guess it was meant to happen,” Levy chirped. 

“Say,” (Y/N) started, “your friend said that someone actually whipped a baseball at you. Is that actually true?”

Natsu smiled sheepishly and nodded before explaining, “It happens all the time actually. This time I was just unlucky enough to land my head on a metal pipe.”

“Jesus. What kind of friends do you have?”

Natsu placed both hands on the back of his head and leaned back.

“The fun ones. What about you?”

“I have a feeling my friends are more level-headed than whatever hormone infested friends you hang out with. Case and point: whipping a fucking baseball at your face being normal to you.”

Natsu snickered, “Yeah I guess you’re probably right. None of my friends are gonna be anything close to being a doctor. Are all your friends that smart?”

“In their own ways. One of my friends hopes to be an author. She already has a few short works that are published, but she’s working on a longer novel, so she’s hoping that will be her first big publication. Another friend of mine is a metal welder, and she makes these really cool swords in her freetime.”

“Meanwhile I’m friends with an HVAC mechanic and a lifeguard. We’re pretty boring compared to you guys. Hey, what do you do?”

“I’m an English professor at a university.”

“What the hell? How are you all so smart?” Natsu breathed.

“Everyone is smart in their own way. What about you?”

Natsu rubbed his head and shyly answered, “I’m a camp counselor, but when it’s not summer I help maintain the grounds.”

“That must be fun to hang out with all the kids.”

“Yeah,” Natsu agreed before muttering, “at least when they’re not being little shits.”

(Y/N) giggled.

“You don’t seem older than me. How do you have your doctorate already?”

“I skipped a couple grades and I graduated with my bachelors a little early, so I went to get my masters and then I worked towards my doctorate while I taught at the local high school. And believe me, I understand about the kids. I had a student come into class high as shit on acid. He ended up having very violent hallucinations in the corner.”

“What the fuck,” Natsu laughed. 

“Hey (N/N), we’re gonna head to one of the cafes. Do you want anything?”

“Yeah,” (Y/N) joked, “can you get me Benadryl, Compazine and Toradol?”

Levy laughed back at her and teased, “Would you like that IV or IM?”

“Hey what the fuck are you two talking about?”

Levy just shook her head and led Gajeel to the cafe. Natsu turned towards (Y/N) with a confused look. 

“It’s the medicines they put in the ‘migraine cocktail’ that I get when I come here.”

“How long have you had these migraines?”

“Since forever. My mom had them really bad, so I must’ve inherited it from her. Wait here.”

Natsu raised his eyebrows as she suddenly got up and walked over to the nurse at the desk. She came back with some disinfectant and a bandage.

“Move your head forward. You’re bleeding.”

“I am?” Natsu asked before wiping his hand on the back of his head and looking at it to see blood. “Oh, I guess I am.”

“The fact that you didn’t know makes it a lot more concerning,” she muttered.

He winced when the disinfectant made contact with his open wound. (Y/N) wrapped the bandage around his head and sat back down. 

“How do you know how to do all this?”

“I live with a med student and I literally come to the hospital every week. I picked a few things up.”

They looked at each other before they held wide grins. Levy came rushing back to them, holding a small bag and a cup for (Y/N). Gajeel followed behind her with a soda and bag of chips for Natsu. 

“I got you that pastry that you like and a hot chocolate.”

“Yeah and I got you a Mountain Dew and Doritos.”

Natsu and (Y/N) looked at the drastic differences in the orders they were given and laughed. When (Y/N) took the pastry out of the bag, Natsu kept staring at it. Gajeel rolled his eyes.

“Eat what I got you, asshole. The prices on hospital stores are way higher than the usual convenience store.”

Levy sat down in her chair on the other side of (Y/N) and searched her bag before pulling out a baggie with two blue pills.

“Here, the nurse said I could give you one before they take you in.”

“Oh thank fuck,” (Y/N) moaned before taking on and borrowing Levy’s water bottle to swallow it down. 

“What the fuck did you just give her?” Gajeel questioned. 

“It’s naproxen,” (Y/N) explained. “It’s basically a hospital dose of Aleve.”

“Give one to that asshole so he stops complaining about his head.”

“No!” Levy yelled. “Do you know how dangerous that is? What if he’s allergic or has a bad reaction? You shouldn’t be sharing medicines.”

(Y/N) laughed and leaned her head back, closing her eyes and breathing slowly. Her head ended up rolling to the side and landed on Natsu’s shoulder. 

“Did she just fall asleep?” Gajeel inquired as he pointed at her.

“No,” (Y/N) immediately answered, “but it hurts to keep my head up, so this’ll do for now.”

Natsu chuckled, but made no move to shift or move her. Levy walked back up to the nurse’s station and returned with a cold cloth and Tylenol. She carefully placed the cloth on (Y/N)’s forehead, apologizing to Natsu when some water started to drip on his shoulder. She then handed Natsu the Tylenol, telling him that he could take it to try to ease the pain before he was seen by a nurse. 

“Thanks.”

Natsu suddenly sneezed, making his shoulders jolt. (Y/N) moaned in pain and Natsu immediately apologized and sat back again so that her head could rest again. 

“Way to go, Dragneel.”

“Shut it. Hey do you have my jacket? Or did I leave it in the car?”

“You’re sitting on it, dumbass.”

Natsu laughed to himself before preparing (Y/N) for a shift again when he lifted himself off the chair to get the jacket. He slowly sat back down and let her head rest on his shoulder again. He carefully laid the jacket over her so that it formed a barrier for her eyes. She hummed and scooted closer. Natsu went to speak when he saw Levy staring at him expectantly. 

“Uh, what?”

She motioned with her arm and when Natsu still wasn’t getting it, she stood on her chair and hung her arm around a confused Gajeel to show Natsu what he should do. He let out a small “oh” before slowly laying his arm across (Y/N)’s shoulder and gently pulling her closer. 

“Oh wow,” (Y/N) taunted, “Natsu bringing on the big moves.”

“You’re supposed to be asleep,” Natsu mumbled. 

“Oh please, I couldn’t sleep right now if I tried.”

“Natsu Dragneel?” 

Natsu and Gajeel looked up to see the nurse calling him. He laughed when he heard a groan. (Y/N) shot right up and screamed in frustration. 

“What gives, Michelle?! I was here first!”

“Sorry (Y/N),” Michelle soothed, “but they’re still preparing your cocktail.”

“Oh my god. I’m gonna be here forever.”

“Here, you can keep the jacket. I’ll get it back the next time I--”

“If I give you my number, will you _please_ stop hurting yourself?”

Natsu blinked a couple times before grinning and exchanging information. He waved goodbye and disappeared with Gajeel to the intake station. 

“He seems nice,” Levy slyly remarked. 

“Yeah,” (Y/N) agreed before smirking at her friend. “That Gajeel guy seems nice too.”

They both laughed at each other before (Y/N) leaned her head on Levy’s shoulder. Levy started to massage her temples while they waited for her turn.


	28. Happy's Doctor Appointment

(Y/N) was woken up by something jumping on her on the bed. She groaned and opened her eyes to see Happy standing on top of her. 

“Uh, Happy? Do you mind?”

“(Y/N), you have to tell Natsu that he’s being mean!”

“I am not! I’m just reminding you that you have to go to the doctor’s.”

“Real friends wouldn’t make each other do that!”

“Happy, you need your shots!”

“Guys, can this wait another hour?”

“(Y/N), you have to help me,” Happy pleaded. “I don’t wanna go there. They hurt me.”

“Come on buddy. It’ll only be ten minutes.”

“No!”

Happy started flying around the room with Natsu chasing after him. (Y/N) groaned and jumped out of bed, catching Happy out of the air. Happy squirmed in her grasp, but she wasn’t letting go. 

“Happy, it’s important that you go. You don’t want to get sick.”

“Come on little buddy. It’ll be quick and then we can all go fishing.”

“Plus, you’re six now! Let’s show everyone what a brave and strong exceed you are,” (Y/N) pushed. 

Happy floated to the ground before hanging his head and walking to the door. 

“You promise we’ll go fishing?” Happy quietly asked as he faced (Y/N). 

She and Natsu looked at each other before they both smiled and promised. They all started to walk towards the doctor’s office, which was towards the center of town. Once they were standing in front of the building, Happy started to freak out and try to fly away. (Y/N) grabbed him by his pouch and dragged him into the office. The exceed protested, but eventually gave in. 

“(Y/N), you’re mean.”

“I know, Happy. I know.”

———————

“See? That wasn’t so bad. Now you can tell everyone how well you handled it.”

“I got three shots and I was brave!”

“Yeah,” Natsu laughed, “and you only cried seven times.”

“Shots are painful, Natsu,” Happy defended. 

“Are you two ready to go fishing?” (Y/N) exclaimed. 

“Alright!” Happy cheered. “I’m gonna catch the biggest fish ever.”

“No way,” Natsu argued, “I’m the one who’s gonna catch it.”

(Y/N) giggled at the two before leading them to their special fishing spot in the forest. To everyone’s surprise, (Y/N) was the one who caught the biggest one, making both Happy and Natsu start to groan before they tried to bribe (Y/N) to give them the fish. 

“I should get it,” Happy declared. “I’m the one who went to the doctor’s. I deserve it.”

Natsu could sense that Happy had won before he even tried to argue, so he sighed and held his hands up. 

“Fine, fine. You can have it.”

Happy gave the dragon slayer a victorious smirk and flew over to the fish. Natsu and (Y/N) by a tree as they watched the exceed happily eat the fish. 

“You know you could’ve just eaten it yourself.”

(Y/N) laughed, “I can’t eat fish for every meal like you two. We’re having fish for dinner and I don’t think my body would be able to handle it twice.”

They both looked at each other before Natsu moved his face closer to hers. 

“No way!” Happy shouted. “You can’t do that here. I’m still recovering.”

“What does that have to do with anything?” Natsu shouted back. 

Happy floated over and landed on (Y/N)’s head, saying that he thought that today should be a “let’s do everything that Happy says” day to make up for having to go get a check up. They rolled their eyes at him, (Y/N) laughing at his logic and Natsu grumbling. 

——————————

“Alright you two, it’s time for dinner.”

Natsu jumped up from the couch and put his fist in the air. Happy flew in circles as he made his way to the kitchen. 

“Grilled fish? This is great. I’m so glad I went to the doctor’s.”

(Y/N) was just finishing up cooking when she felt Natsu hug her from behind. He rested his head on one of her shoulders and looked towards the stove. He pulled her closer so her back was pressed against his chest. He went to kiss her cheek when Happy shouted at them. 

“No! You have to do what I say, and I said no kissing.”

(Y/N) laughed when the dragon slayer huffed and let go of his girlfriend. They all sat down at the table and started eating. 

“(Y/N), this is great. You need to always cook the fish.”

Natsu scoffed at Happy before saying, “I make it just as good as this. You’re just happy because she cooked your favorite dish.”

———————

The three of them were at the guild, (Y/N) chatting with Mira and the bar and Natsu and Happy sitting at Team Natsu’s table. 

“So what was this whole thing about Happy screaming earlier?”

(Y/N) giggled before explaining his trip to the doctor. Mira joined her laughter. She handed her a plate of food, (Y/N) thanking her. Natsu seemed to smell her food because he wandered over to the bar and sat next to (Y/N). He casually picked at her food while she wasn’t looking. (Y/N) didn’t have to look to know what Natsu was doing, so she slapped his hand as she continued to speak to Mira. 

Natsu looked over to (Y/N) and wiggled his eyebrows before quickly looking over his shoulder to see if Happy was paying attention to them. When he saw that Happy was speaking with Charle, he held (Y/N)’s hand and started to lean in. 

“No way, Natsu. You’re not allowed!” Happy shouted from across the guildhall. 

Natsu’s eyes twitched before turning around in his chair and yelling back, “How did you even see that? You’re all the way over there.”

“I can sense it.”

The dragon slayer groaned and placed his head on the bar. 

—————————-

Natsu saw (Y/N) doing dishes, so he wandered over to her. He scanned the house and saw that Happy was nowhere to be found. 

“Where is he?”

“He went over to the dorms to hang out with Charle.”

“So does that mean,” Natsu started to ask as he twisted her gently around, “that we’re alone?”

(Y/N) hummed and smiled softly at him. Natsu placed one of his hands on her hip while the other came up to gently hold her cheek. (Y/N) wrapped her arms around his neck and they both just stared at each other in the eyes. The dragon slayer was just about to successfully kiss her when Happy burst through the door. 

“No!” Happy yelled. 

Natsu let out a frustrated scream and yelled at his companion. 

“You’re never going to the doctor’s again.”

“Really?!” Happy shouted excitedly. 

“No, Happy,” (Y/N) spoke up, “You have to go to stay healthy.”


	29. Natsu x Reader: Bet

“What do you _mean_ , Natsu?”

“No Nut November is upon us.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” (Y/N) groaned. “Our anniversary is in November. My _birthday_ is in November. You’re telling me that you’re seriously doing this?”

Natsu continued to rummage through the fridge and affirmed his statement without looking up. 

“Natsu!”

“What?” Natsu peaked above the door, revealing that he had some leftover chicken in his mouth. 

“Well then I’m doing ‘No Joy July,’” (Y/N) declared. 

Natsu gasped before defending that it wasn’t even a thing. (Y/N) smirked before saying that she was going to make it a thing if he went through with it. The dragon slayer mumbled something under his breath before shutting the fridge and crossing his arms.

“You wouldn’t.”

“Oh? That’s right. Isn’t your birthday in July, _honey_?” (Y/N) asked cockily. 

“You’re not gonna get me to cave, (Y/N). This is important.”

“ _HOW?_ ”

Natsu huffed before repeating his statement.

“Natsu, it’s not even an official thing. It’s something a bunch of people fabricated because they thought it would be funny.”

“Yeah well Gray and I made a bet--”

“ _Gray_ for one doesn’t have a girlfriend. Second, he doesn’t have an anniversary or birthday in November. So you can tell Gray to stick it up his--”

“It’s not that big a deal,” Natsu laughed.

“Good. No Joy July,” (Y/N) assured before walking into the bathroom and jumping into the shower. 

Natsu wiggled his eyebrows, “You want me to help you--”

“Absolutely not.”

\-----------------------------------------

It was no secret that (Y/N) was not happy with the situation that she was given. 

“Is he actually gonna do that?” Lucy gasped.

“I know!”

Mira giggled as she set down a couple plates of food, chiming in, “Maybe this gives you the opportunity to do something else for your anniversary this year.”

“Mira, we’ve been dating for four years. There’s nothing else to do.”

She pushed, “Oh come on. There has to be something.”

“Well seeing as we haven’t been on a ‘date’ since year two, I don’t really think it’ll work out as some romantic thing you’re expecting.”

“ _Two years_ without a date?” Lucy choked. “What do you do on birthdays? Valentine’s Day? Anniversaries? New Years?”

(Y/N) raised her eyebrows at Lucy before answering with a simple look. Lucy groaned. 

“I can’t believe you two. No wonder why he’s so happy all the time.”

“I believe I have a possible solution,” Erza spoke up as she approached the table. “All you have to do is make him cave. It should be easy enough given the information you just revealed.”

“Hey that’s a good idea,” Lucy tittered. “Make him beg, (N/N).”

(Y/N) looked at her friends and smiled mischievously. 

\-------------------------------------------

Natsu had returned home after a difficult job and found himself in a dark house.

“She must be asleep.”

Natsu dropped his bags and coat on the couch and quietly walked into the bedroom. He carefully crawled into bed beside (Y/N) and pulled the covers up. He looked at her and took in the way her (H/C) hair was sprawled across the pillow and smiled. She stirred in her sleep, her eyes fluttering open. 

“Natsu?”

“Shh. It’s late. Go back to sleep.”

(Y/N) smiled up at her boyfriend before leaning over and kissing him. The dragon slayer grinned and brushed her hair out of her face. She scooted close to him and kissed the base of his neck before running her hands across his stomach. 

Natsu chuckled before whispering, “It’s No Nut November, love.”

With that, Natsu turned around so his back was facing (Y/N) and laughed when he heard her groan. 

\----------------------------------------

“So what do you wanna do today?” Natsu asked as they both sat on the couch.

“We could go fishing. I know Happy said that he wanted to go.”

“Aye, sir!”

They all grabbed their stuff and headed to their usual fishing spot in the forest. They spent about an hour there, Natsu catching a huge fish and deciding to cook it and make a picnic to eat it. They all enjoyed their fish and let out a content breath when they were finished. Happy had fallen asleep, so Natsu and (Y/N) decided to sit leaning against a large tree. (Y/N) snuggled into Natsu’s side and the dragon slayer wrapped an arm around her.

“Hey Natsu, you know what would be exciting?”

“What?”

(Y/N) wiggled her eyebrows and tugged at his overcoat. 

“In public? You have guts, (N/N).”

“Well?”

Natsu responded simply, “No Nut November.”

\--------------------------------------------------

“Happy birthday!”

(Y/N) laughed at the overly energetic dragon slayer as he overdramatically revealed a small cake. She went to hug him, but he beat her to it and spun her around. She giggled as Natsu put her down and kissed her softly. 

“So how was your day with Lucy and the others?” Natsu inquired. 

“We went to a couple of shops and picked up some new clothes.”

“Seems interesting enough.”

(Y/N) got an idea and walked back over to the door, rummaging through one of the bags and going into the bathroom to change. When she came back she had found that Natsu had fallen asleep on the couch. She huffed before walking over to him and flicking him on the forehead. He jolted awake and looked around in shock before his eyes landed on his girlfriend wearing a short navy blue dress with side buttons and a white bow by the neck. He looked at her with wide eyes before looking off to the side. (Y/N) smirked before she walked closer to him and kissed his cheek. 

“Do you like it?” (Y/N) cheekily asked. “Lucy helped me pick it out.”

“Yeah,” Natsu eventually stuttered, “it looks really nice.”

“Well?”

“I-I can’t. I have...to win the bet.”

(Y/N) groaned before retreating into the bedroom and burying her face in the pillow.

\------------------------------------------

Knowing how she did the last time, (Y/N) decided to try wearing another outfit that Natsu would like. She ended up picking out a maroon off-shoulder dress that went down to her mid-thigh. She peeked around the corner to see that Natsu was eating leftovers on the couch. She smirked to herself and slowly stepped in front of him. He looked up and his mouth dropped, releasing the fish that he once held. 

“Uh, what are you doing? Are you going somewhere?”

“No. I don’t have to go somewhere to wear a dress.”

His pupils dilated as he continued to stare at her. (Y/N) decided to go for it, so she sat on his lap and straddled him on the couch. Natsu’s cheeks turned a deep red as he struggled to keep his heart beat at a normal rate. He took in a deep breath as she started to play with his scarf, gently tugging it off his neck. She carefully placed it on the couch beside Natsu before her hands gripped both his shoulders and gave him a short kiss. He leaned in to deepen the kiss, and soon the passion and frustrations that they both held during the month came out. He pulled her closer on his lap and kissed her neck. 

“You know, I like this dress a lot,” (Y/N) stated before leaning next to Natsu’s ear and whispering, “It’s really easy to put on. And take off.”

“I love you so much,” Natsu breathed.

“Oh? That’s nice.”

(Y/N) stood up from her position and entered the kitchen. Natsu sat on the couch for a few minutes before wandering over to (Y/N) again. He hugged (Y/N) from behind and held her loosely. (Y/N) hummed before shaking him off and continuing to look in the cabinets. She could hear a small groan from Natsu, causing her to smirk.

“What’s wrong, honey? Is something bothering you?”

“...No.”

(Y/N) stood really close to him before gently holding his shirt collar and smiling sweetly. She could hear his breath hitch as she started trailing her hands from his neck to his biceps. 

“Well?” (Y/N) said, seeming to break Natsu out of a trance.

“Huh?”

(Y/N) giggled before repeating, “I asked what you wanted to do tonight.”

“You.”

“Oh? Well I guess that’s unfortunate. I was thinking more of a board game.”

“(Y/N),” Natsu moaned, “you’re killing me.”

“What do you think? ‘Sorry’ or ‘Trouble?’”

“Come on, (N/N). I only have a week left. I need to win this bet.”

“So ‘Trouble’ it is,” (Y/N) sang as she let go of him and disappeared into the living room. 

Natsu eventually joined (Y/N) in the living room and looked around.

“Uh, where’s Happy?”

“He went over to see Charle. I thought it was quite... _romantic_ of him.”

Natsu squeezed his eyes shut as he tried to concentrate on anything other than the sight of his girlfriend wearing his vest. 

“You know,” (Y/N) drawled, “I didn’t think you’d actually make it this far. I’m impressed.”

Natsu shifted uncomfortably as he stood in the doorway. 

“I was thinking that we extend this until March, whaddya say?”

“M-March?”

“Yeah, you know: No Nut November, No Dick December, No Joy January, No Fuck February,” (Y/N) listed with a smirk. “I couldn’t think of anything for March though.”

“I mean, I don’t really think we should do that much. Don’t you think that November is enough?”

“Well you see,” she lied, “Mira and I made a bet of our own. And I mean, according to you, bets need to be honored, yes?”

(Y/N) stood up from the floor and slowly made her way over to him. She gripped his forearm and hummed. Natsu gulped as he looked at her before lowering his arms to land on her hips. Sensing that it was working, (Y/N) let go of his arms and placed her hands in his hair. She started to play with it as she hummed. 

Natsu moaned again in frustration, “You’re playing dirty.”

(Y/N) smirked before leaning up to his ear and whispering, “Oh honey, you haven’t seen anything yet.”

Natsu’s eyes seemed to cloud over. He held her face between his hands and brought their lips together for a rough kiss. (Y/N) smirked and stepped back. Natsu gave a mischievous grin before grabbing her and tossing her over his shoulder.

“Natsu!” (Y/N) screamed through laughter. “What are you doing?”

Natsu threw her on the bed and pinned her arms on either side of her. He leaned in close and nipped at her neck before whispering, “You.”

\-----------------------------------------

Natsu pulled (Y/N) closer before kissing the back of her neck. She giggled before turning around on the bed to face him. He gently caressed her cheek before kissing her softly and grinning. They played with each other’s fingers before interlocking hands, Natsu bringing her hand up to his face for a kiss. 

“I never get sick of post-sex Natsu. He’s so gentle and loving.”

Natsu chuckled before bringing his hands to her side.

“Don’t you dare--”

He smirked before tickling her sides, making her squirm under the sheets. She begged him to stop between her laughter. He eventually gave in and let her catch her breath. They laid there motionless except for the calm breathing. Natsu turned his head to the side and gave a lopsided grin. (Y/N) copied his grin. They spoke in unison.

“Round two?”

They both laughed at each other before Natsu pulled her closer and started to trail kisses down her arm. 

“Hey,” (Y/N) started, curiosity taking over, “what did you and Gray even bet?”

Natsu pulled away before chuckling nervously. (Y/N) raised an eyebrow at him and waited for him to answer. 

“I, uh, _might_ have agreed that Gray could go on a date with you.”

“You better elaborate, Dragneel.”

“Well if I won, Gray would’ve had to ask Juvia on a date. And if he won, he would get to go on a date with you.”

“Why on earth would you bet me?!”

“Because I thought I would win!”

“Natsu!” (Y/N) shouted as she whipped him with a pillow.


	30. No Pets Allowed (Modern AU)

(Y/N) heard a noise outside her apartment door. It sounded like paws running on the floor and down the hall, and she was afraid it was a rat, so she stood stiffly by her door to wait until it stopped. She jumped when she heard soft scratching on her door.

“What the fuck kind of rat is this?”

She carefully went to the peephole and gasped when she saw that it was a cat scratching her door. She quickly opened the door and crouched down to let the cat sniff her hand. 

“What are you doing here, little kitty? You’re not allowed inside.”

(Y/N) heard quick steps running down the hall before one of the other tenants appeared around the corner. He looked at (Y/N) petting the cat and panicked. 

“You _cannot _tell the landlord he’s in here. I’ll get in so much trouble.”__

__“Is he a stray?”_ _

__“...No.”_ _

__(Y/N) gasped and stood up abruptly before dragging him and the cat into her apartment._ _

__“You snuck a cat into your apartment?! What were you thinking? Pets aren’t allowed.”_ _

__“I know, I know. But look at him.”_ _

__(Y/N) turned to see the cat purring as he held onto the man’s leg. She sighed and bent down to play with the cat again._ _

__“His name is Happy.”_ _

__“And you are?” (Y/N) asked as she raised an eyebrow._ _

__“Oh, right,” he said as he rubbed the back of his head. “I’m Natsu. It’s, uh, nice to meet you.”_ _

__(Y/N) rolled her eyes and introduced herself before going into the kitchen and placing a bowl of water on the floor for Happy._ _

__“Now, _please_ tell me why you thought sneaking a cat into your apartment was a good idea?”_ _

__Natsu shrugged his shoulder and casually replied, “I’ve always wanted a cat.”_ _

__“You can’t keep him here!”_ _

__“Why not?”_ _

__“Because you’ll get in so much trouble. Not to mention, now I’ll get in trouble since I knew about him.”_ _

__Natsu smirked before stating, “That’s only if the landlord finds out.”_ _

__“No offense, Natsu, but you’re an idiot.”_ _

__“We can always just blame it on the rats.”_ _

__“Happy looks nothing like a rat, first off. Second, cats make noise. They purr and meow and scream and whine and scratch things and hiss. Not to mention the noise he’ll make when he moves around the apartment and pushes a glass of your counter.”_ _

__“You sound experienced,” Natsu laughed._ _

__“I grew up with cats. Believe me, they’re the cutest and lovable annoyance anyone could ever wish for.”_ _

__“So you’ll help?”_ _

__“When did I ever say I would help?”_ _

__\-------------------------------------_ _

__“Happy!” (Y/N) whisper-yelled. “Get over here. Someone’s coming.”_ _

__Happy looked at her blankly before screaming loudly and running away from her door. (Y/N) ran after him and chased him all the way down the hall to Natsu’s apartment._ _

__“There you are, Happy,” Natsu cheered. “I’ve been looking for you.”_ _

__“The maintenance guy is coming apartment to apartment checking electrical. You need to hide him.”_ _

__“Where?”_ _

__(Y/N) thought for a minute before explaining her plan._ _

__“He’ll hide in your apartment when he checks my apartment. Then we wait for him to go into the next apartment and transfer Happy to my apartment so that your apartment is empty when he comes to check.”_ _

__Natsu grinned and ushered Happy inside before giving her a thumbs up and an “i’ll see you later” and shutting the door._ _

__“He’s unbelievable.”_ _

__\------------------------------------------_ _

__“Come here, Happy. It’s dinner time.”_ _

__Happy trotted into (Y/N)’s apartment and went straight for the kitchen. Natsu opened the door shortly after carrying popcorn and a blanket._ _

__“Movie time!”_ _

__(Y/N) rolled her eyes. Natsu went in the kitchen to microwave the popcorn while (Y/N) set up the movie. He returned a couple minutes later with two bowls of popcorn._ _

__“Does it have butter on it?” (Y/N) questioned skeptically._ _

__Natsu laughed and responded, “I don’t know where you keep anything, so of course it doesn’t.”_ _

__(Y/N) huffed and grabbed the bowls before adding butter to the popcorn and sitting back down. Happy strolled back into the living room after presumably finishing his dinner and stood at their feet. He started whining and screaming. He only stopped when Natsu tossed him a piece of popcorn._ _

__“You’re gonna spoil him and then he’ll never stop.”_ _

__Happy looked right at (Y/N) and purred, rubbing against her leg._ _

__“Oh fine,” (Y/N) gave in, “you can have some.”_ _

__\-------------------------------------_ _

__“Happy, stay still! You have to be brushed.”_ _

__Happy continued to squirm in her grasp. (Y/N) gave up and let the cat go. When Natsu came back into his living room, Happy crawled up his back and perched himself on his shoulder. (Y/N) rolled her eyes and went into Natsu’s bathroom to empty the brush._ _

__“Happy wants to know if you’re still coming to the pet store with us.”_ _

__(Y/N) smiled at them before nodding. She approached them and rubbed behind Happy’s ears, making him purr softly and tilt his head into her hand. They carefully snuck Happy out of the apartment building and rushed towards the parking lot._ _

__“Who’s driving?”_ _

__“Definitely not you,” (Y/N) replied. “I’ve never seen anyone get carsick behind the wheel before.”_ _

__Natsu grumbled to himself and carried Happy to (Y/N)’s car. Natsu played with the radio on the way, casually assigning her empty presets to the stations he listens to._ _

__\--------------------------------------_ _

__“Don’t you dare,” (Y/N) warned._ _

__Her and Happy were currently having a standoff in the kitchen. Happy’s paw was hovering over one of the glasses that was set on the counter. He had snuck up there when (Y/N) was focused on unpacking the groceries. Happy purred innocently before wacking the glass off the counter._ _

__“You asshole.”_ _

__(Y/N) quickly picked up the pieces of the broken glass and tossed it in the trash. She pointed at him accusingly._ _

__“You’re lucky that wasn’t my favorite glass.”_ _

__Happy meowed in response before disappearing into the living room. A knock was heard on her door and she called out to the person knowing that it was just Natsu. Happy jumped on Natsu’s shoulder once he saw him, Natsu grinning wide and petting the top of the cat’s head._ _

__“You owe me a glass, Dragneel.”_ _

__“Uh oh Happy. What did you do this time?”_ _

__Happy meowed and jumped off Natsu shoulder before making his way back onto the kitchen counter and knocking another glass off the counter._ _

__“He didn’t ask for a demonstration, you asshole!”_ _

__Natsu placed his hands on her shoulder and laughed, promising to get her new glasses._ _

__\----------------------------------------_ _

__(Y/N) woke up to Happy yowling. She quickly opened her eyes and scolded him._ _

__“You can’t do that at two in the morning, Happy.”_ _

__Happy continued to make noise._ _

__“What’s wrong? You have food and water and the bathroom door is open. What more could you possibly want?”_ _

__Happy ran to the front door and scratched it. (Y/N) sighed and picked him up._ _

__“I’m sorry, Happy, but Natsu had to go out for tonight.”_ _

__He looked at her and meowed questioningly. (Y/N) made her way to the couch and softly placed Happy down beside her._ _

__“He went on a date, Happy. You have to wait until tomorrow to see him.”_ _

__Happy looked up at her and whined. (Y/N) stared blankly at the floor._ _

__“Believe me Happy, I don’t want him on that date either.”_ _

__\-------------------------------------------_ _

__“Hey (N/N), you wanna got to this cool cat diner we found?” Natsu asked as he barged into her apartment._ _

__(Y/N) and Natsu stared at each other in shock for a second before they both blushed, Natsu turning away and (Y/N) running into her bedroom._ _

__“Knock you idiot!”_ _

__“I mean,” Natsu tried to joke, “at least you weren’t _completely _naked, right?”___ _

____“Out!”_ _ _ _

____\------------------------------------------_ _ _ _

____“Happy, you know you can’t meow like that in the hallway. Why are you even here? Natsu said that--”_ _ _ _

____“Happy,” Natsu hissed, “you better get in this goddamn crate right now.”_ _ _ _

____(Y/N) giggled and picked Happy up, defending him against Natsu. Natsu looked up at her and glared._ _ _ _

____“He has to go to the vets. Put him in here.”_ _ _ _

____She looked at Happy and held him up to her face before kissing him on the nose. She silently brought him into her apartment and closed the door on Natsu. She heard protests from the hall. The door reopened, revealing Happy dressed in a harness and meowing happily._ _ _ _

____“He doesn’t like getting in the crate until he gets to the car. He likes his harness best.”_ _ _ _

____Natsu muttered curses under his breath before sneaking the three of them out to (Y/N)’s car._ _ _ _

____\-----------------------------------_ _ _ _

____“So what are we all doing tonight? Maybe a movie? Or--”_ _ _ _

____“Sorry, Natsu. It’s just gonna be you and Happy tonight. I have a date.”_ _ _ _

____Natsu’s grin faltered and curiously asked, “Since when were you dating someone?”_ _ _ _

____“For a few weeks. You’ll need to keep Happy at your apartment because my date’s coming back here after we have dinner.”_ _ _ _

____“Oh,” Natsu quietly stated. “Yeah I’ll make sure we don’t bother you then.”_ _ _ _

____\---------------------------------_ _ _ _

____Natsu and Happy saw less of (Y/N). Happy would scratch at Natsu’s door to be let out to see her, but whenever they knocked on her door, she wasn’t there. Happy wouldn’t stop screaming one day, and Natsu finally gave up and let him out of the apartment. Happy immediately bolted for (Y/N)’s door and Natsu ran after him. He whispered harshly for Happy to stop scratching at (Y/N)’s door, but he silenced himself when he heard muffled crying. Natsu and Happy looked at each other. Natsu swore that he saw Happy nod at him. He knocked on the door and patiently waited for a response._ _ _ _

____“Hey, uh, (Y/N)? We were wondering if we could come in. Happy’s been whining all week to see you.”_ _ _ _

____He was met with silence. He sighed and picked Happy up before going to quietly sneak him back to his apartment when he heard the door unlock._ _ _ _

____“Hey what’s up?” Natsu greeted, trying to act like he hadn’t just heard her crying._ _ _ _

____(Y/N) didn’t look like she was trying that hard to hide her tears, so Natsu slowly put Happy down and walked closer to her. Happy immediately went to rub against (Y/N)’s leg. (Y/N) laughed through her sobs and leaned down to pet the cat on his special spot by the base of his neck. She looked up to see Natsu standing in front of her with a concerned look on his face._ _ _ _

____“My dad was hospitalized last week and I just got word that he died in surgery.”_ _ _ _

____“I’m so sorry.”_ _ _ _

____(Y/N) shrugged it off and picked Happy off the ground._ _ _ _

____“That’s okay, right Happy? You’ll help me get through this.”_ _ _ _

____Natsu smiled and grabbed Happy from her hands and gently placed him back down on the floor. He walked closer to (Y/N) and pulled her in for a much needed hug. She hugged him back, her sniffled and sobs returning._ _ _ _

____\--------------------------------------------------_ _ _ _

____“Do you even know how to cook?” (Y/N) asked accusingly as she looked over to Natsu struggling with the pots on the stove._ _ _ _

____“Of course I do,” he aggressively defended._ _ _ _

____She shook her head and grabbed a spoon from the drawer and pushed him aside, taking over the cooking. Natsu wandered over to the island and watched her as he leaned his head on his hand, smiling fondly._ _ _ _

____“Why are you looking at me like that?” (Y/N) snapped. “You’re supposed to be feeding Happy.”_ _ _ _

____Natsu shook his head to clear his mind and looked down at the floor. Happy stood there meowing softly, patiently waiting for his food._ _ _ _

____“Alright, alright. I _guess_ you can eat before me tonight.”_ _ _ _

____After Happy had been fed and (Y/N) finished cooking, they all sat in front of the television. (Y/N) and Natsu slowly ate their food, engrossed in the movie they had put on. Happy whined and screamed until one of them gave him some of their food, so they both gave him a little bit from each plate._ _ _ _

____\--------------------------------------------------_ _ _ _

____“Hey can Happy stay here tonight?”_ _ _ _

____“What, do you have another _date_ tonight?” (Y/N) playfully countered, even though her stomach knotted._ _ _ _

____Natsu just laughed and shook his head before revealing that the maintenance man was coming over to look at his backed up shower drain. Relief washed over her and she quickly agreed, opening her door more so Happy could saunter inside._ _ _ _

____“So what’s up with you, my little bitty kitty?”_ _ _ _

____Happy just stared at her. She giggled to herself before standing up._ _ _ _

____“Of course, I forgot that you don’t do pet talk. So Happy, what’s your thoughts on abortion?”_ _ _ _

____Happy started chattering while pacing around the apartment. (Y/N) laughed loudly and flopped on the couch. Happy quickly jumped on her lap and curled up._ _ _ _

____\---------------------------------------_ _ _ _

____(Y/N) heard Happy scratching at the door, so she quickly opened it. He came strolling through and hopped on her counter._ _ _ _

____“Go ahead and try, cat.”_ _ _ _

____Happy immediately swatted her cup onto the ground. Happy stared down at the cup when he saw that it didn’t break._ _ _ _

____(Y/N) smirked before revealing, “That’s right, Happy. I replaced all my glasses with plastic.”_ _ _ _

____Happy hissed and jumped off the counter and ran into the bathroom. (Y/N) gave a victorious smirk before going back onto the couch. Suddenly, Happy came flashing, running full speed before he threw himself into the kitchen trash can._ _ _ _

____“You win this round, asshole.”_ _ _ _

____\------------------------------------_ _ _ _

____Natsu and Happy walked into (Y/N)’s apartment and sat down on the couch. (Y/N) called out from her bedroom._ _ _ _

____“Are you Natsu or should I be getting my bat?”_ _ _ _

____Natsu laughed and jokingly told her that she needed the bat. She entered the living room and rolled her eyes at him._ _ _ _

____“Happy, can you believe him?”_ _ _ _

____Happy chirped and started kneading Natsu’s thigh._ _ _ _

____“Are you making bread, my little baker?” (Y/N) gushed._ _ _ _

____It was Natsu’s turn to roll his eyes._ _ _ _

____\------------------------------------_ _ _ _

____“What kind of movie kills the dog?” (Y/N) cried._ _ _ _

____Natsu shut off the TV once the credits started and looked down at her. She was cuddled into his side and he had his arm wrapped around her. He smiled softly and looked over to see Happy slowly wagging his tail, signalling that he was relaxed. Happy slowly stepped over to the couch and jumped next to (Y/N) before squiming his way between her and Natsu and licking (Y/N)’s face. She giggled when she felt the cat’s tongue on her cheek. She wiped her eyes and looked up at Natsu._ _ _ _

____“Can we watch a happier movie next time? This one sucked.”_ _ _ _

____He chuckled and promised her. They all stayed silent for a while, (Y/N) cuddling into Natsu’s side and Happy laying next to (Y/N)’s stomach. She could hear Natsu’s slow heartbeat and he listened to her breathing. Natsu looked down a few minutes later to see that she had fallen asleep and smiled to himself. He looked back down when he saw Happy looking up at him with what a cat could pass off as a smug look. Natsu rolled his eyes and leaned his head over the back of the couch and closed his eyes._ _ _ _

____\---------------------------------_ _ _ _

____“Apartment checks!” (Y/N) frantically yelled as she burst into Natsu’s apartment._ _ _ _

____Natsu looked up from his lunch and gasped. He quickly gathered all the cat supplies (litter box, scratching posts, beds, toys, food, bowls, blankets and brushes) and threw them into the back of his closet before covering it with clothes. (Y/N) did the same with her apartment. The landlord did his rounds through the apartments. Once he checked Natsu’s apartment, they waited for him to go into the next one and transferred Happy back to his apartment before the landlord reached (Y/N)’s. After a successful operation, the three of them went out for celebratory sandwiches. Natsu ran into the sandwich shop and brought out their order, giving Happy his deli meat-filled sub. They all happily ate in the car and hummed (or meowed) to the music that Natsu was blasting from the bluetooth._ _ _ _

____“You know,” (Y/N) started with a mischievous look in her eyes, “your music sucks.”_ _ _ _

____“Yeah, and your music isn’t much better.”_ _ _ _

____\------------------------------------_ _ _ _

____“You don’t even know this guy!” Natsu protested._ _ _ _

____“That’s the point of a blind date, Natsu.”_ _ _ _

____“Yeah but,” Natsu drifted off as he tried to think of an argument, “the guy might be a serial killer.”_ _ _ _

____“I told my friends where I’d be, and I’m telling you where I’ll be. Besides,” (Y/N) smiled to herself, “maybe he’s my future husband.”_ _ _ _

____She picked Happy up from her counter and handed him over to Natsu before waving them off. Natsu grumbled the entire walk back to his apartment and set Happy down on the floor. He angrily grabbed a bag of chips and sat down in front of the TV. He looked down to see Happy scratching at the door._ _ _ _

____“Give it up, buddy. She’s gone.”_ _ _ _

____Happy hissed and jumped on top of Natsu’s head._ _ _ _

____“Hey! Knock it off! I’m not in the mood buddy.”_ _ _ _

____Happy sadly sat in Natsu’s lap and whined. Natsu gave Happy a chip and told him that they would just have to wait until the morning. Happy stared up at Natsu and, once he noticed, Natsu sighed and waved it off._ _ _ _

____“I know, I know. But it’s probably too late to say anything now.”_ _ _ _

____\-------------------------------------------_ _ _ _

____“Which one do you think he’d like better?” (Y/N) asked Happy as she held up two outfits._ _ _ _

____Happy stayed silent and turned his back to her._ _ _ _

____“Happy, what’s wrong?”_ _ _ _

____Happy looked over his shoulder before looking back and strolling into the living room._ _ _ _

____“Come on, Happy. He’s gonna be here any minute. You gotta help me pick one out.”_ _ _ _

____He started scratching at the front door, so (Y/N) quickly walked him back to Natsu’s apartment before turning around and walking back to her apartment. Happy dashed in front of her, making her almost trip over him. He started walking between her legs and all around so that she couldn’t walk back._ _ _ _

____“Happy, I have to go. Get back in the apartment before someone sees you.”_ _ _ _

____“Oh hey (N/N). Whatcha doing?”_ _ _ _

____Happy leaped onto Natsu’s shoulder and purred. (Y/N) explained that she was getting ready for a date and that she was returning Happy back so that she could leave._ _ _ _

____“He’s being super passive aggressive today, just so you know.”_ _ _ _

____Natsu laughed and turned to Happy, asking, “Are you being a pain today buddy?”_ _ _ _

____Happy innocently meowed and jumped back to the ground. (Y/N) rolled her eyes and went to return to her apartment when Happy darted in front of her again._ _ _ _

____“Happy!” (Y/N) hissed._ _ _ _

____“Happy, come on buddy. Let’s go inside.”_ _ _ _

____Happy started screaming, causing both (Y/N) and Natsu to panic as they tried to silence him._ _ _ _

____“I have a date tonight, Natsu. You have to keep him here.”_ _ _ _

____Something clicked in Natsu’s head and he slowly looked down to Happy to see that he was looking back at him innocently._ _ _ _

____“Oh boy. You’re gonna be fun, aren’t you?”_ _ _ _

____Happy meowed before laying in his bed._ _ _ _

____\-----------------------------------------------_ _ _ _

____“Natsu? Are you there?”_ _ _ _

____Natsu trekked over to the door and lazily opened it. (Y/N) stood in front of him and stared at him for a few seconds._ _ _ _

____Natsu yawned and asked, “What’re you doing here so late? Don’t you have work tomorrow?”_ _ _ _

____“I just…”_ _ _ _

____“What is it?”_ _ _ _

____Happy trotted out of the apartment and jumped on her shoulder._ _ _ _

____“Well hello there Happy,” (Y/N) cheerily greeted. “And how are you?”_ _ _ _

____Happy chattered happily and walked behind her so that he pushed her into Natsu’s apartment._ _ _ _

____“I guess I’m coming in?” (Y/N) joked._ _ _ _

____Natsu chuckled, “I guess so.”_ _ _ _

____They both sat on the couch in silence. Natsu decided to ask her why she was there again._ _ _ _

____“I, um, well,” she stuttered for an answer. “I guess I’m single again.”_ _ _ _

____“Oh? What happened with that guy?”_ _ _ _

____“He, uh, decided that our relationship wasn’t the type of commitment he wanted.”_ _ _ _

____“He dumped you?”_ _ _ _

____Happy hissed at Natsu, so he decided to reword._ _ _ _

____“Who ended it?”_ _ _ _

____“He obviously did.”_ _ _ _

____“So why are you here?”_ _ _ _

____“I don’t know.”_ _ _ _

____\---------------------------------------------------_ _ _ _

____The three of them were having their weekly movie night in (Y/N)’s apartment. Natsu fixed the popcorn._ _ _ _

____“Just butter or salt too?”_ _ _ _

____“Both.”_ _ _ _

____She heard cabinets being opened and closed before he wandered over to the couch._ _ _ _

____“Which movie is it this time?”_ _ _ _

____“The Blue Lagoon.”_ _ _ _

____Natsu groaned, “Why do you always pick romance movies?”_ _ _ _

____“Why do _you_ always pick action movies?”_ _ _ _

____\-----------------------------------------_ _ _ _

____“Happy! Get back here this instant!”_ _ _ _

____Happy happily darted around (Y/N)’s apartment holding her shirt. She rushed out of the bathroom wrapped in a towel and chased him until she heard a knock on the door. She gasped and yelled at them to wait before she continued to curse at the cat._ _ _ _

____“Are you two okay in there?” Natsu asked hesitantly from outside the door._ _ _ _

____“Happy, give it back right now.”_ _ _ _

____Happy dropped the shirt and darted for the door before scratching it. (Y/N) quickly put her shirt on and opened the door._ _ _ _

____“What was that all about?” Natsu laughed._ _ _ _

____“He was being a little shit.”_ _ _ _

____Happy purred as he rubbed against her leg, making her roll her eyes before picking him up._ _ _ _

____“You’re a little troublemaker.”_ _ _ _

____Natsu chuckled and asked to go in. (Y/N) moved to the side so he could walk in and threw her towel in the laundry bin._ _ _ _

____“So what’s up?”_ _ _ _

____“I, uh, wanted to ask you something.”_ _ _ _

____“Oh okay. What is it?”_ _ _ _

____Natsu went to cover himself with some random question when he caught Happy staring at him seriously. He sighed before leaning on a nearby wall._ _ _ _

____“Happy and I--”_ _ _ _

____Happy hissed and sat on the counter._ _ _ _

____“Okay, _just me_. I wanted to know if you wanted to hang out--”_ _ _ _

____Another hiss._ _ _ _

____“Go on a date.”_ _ _ _

____Hiss._ _ _ _

____Natsu forced out a “with me” before he glared at the now-purring cat. (Y/N) looked between the two and laughed._ _ _ _

____“Sure. Where are we going?”_ _ _ _

____Natsu grinned wide._ _ _ _

____\--------------------------------------------------_ _ _ _

____It had been about five months of dating, and Happy was having the time of his life. He enjoyed teasing the couple by jumping in the middle of them whenever they would try to cuddle or kiss. He would meow happily and walk away. Natsu and (Y/N) just laughed it off._ _ _ _

____“I finally told my sister.”_ _ _ _

____Natsu chuckled, “Yeah? And how did that go?”_ _ _ _

____“She basically laughed in my face when I said that a cat set us up.”_ _ _ _

____“Do you blame her?” Natsu joked back._ _ _ _

____Happy jumped on Natsu’s head and started kneading._ _ _ _

____“Oh look it’s my little baker bread boy.”_ _ _ _

____Happy meowed and jumped into her lap. They both looked at each other before quickly glancing down at Happy to see he was distracted by the TV. They smiled and quickly kissed before Happy whipped his head around. They both acted like nothing happened, and Happy looked at them suspiciously before purring and watching the movie. They both smirked victoriously at each other._ _ _ _

____\------------------------------------------_ _ _ _

____“What do you think, Happy? Too much?”_ _ _ _

____Happy hopped around excitedly and chattered. Natsu laughed and gave him a thumbs up before leaving the apartment._ _ _ _

____“So how did Happy take the idea of us going on a date outside the apartment?”_ _ _ _

____“He seemed okay with it.”_ _ _ _

____“That’s a relief. I always feel bad leaving him alone like that.”_ _ _ _

____They walked inside the restaurant and sat down, Natsu playing with the little velvet box in his pocket._ _ _ _

____\-------------------------------------------_ _ _ _

____“Do you pledge to share your lives openly with one another, and to speak the truth in love? Do you promise to honor and tenderly care for one another, cherish and encourage each other, stand together, through sorrows and joys, hardships and triumphs for all the days of your lives?”_ _ _ _

____Natsu looked over at (Y/N) and smiled and declared, “I do.”_ _ _ _

____The priest asked the same questions to (Y/N), and she echoed Natsu’s response, “I do.”_ _ _ _

____The both looked at each other with huge grins and small tears in their eyes. They were told that they could kiss and looked around jokingly to see if Happy saw them. RIght before they were going to kiss, Happy jumped on the altar and started hopping between them._ _ _ _

____“Oh my god,” (Y/N)’s mother cried. “My daughter is married.”_ _ _ _

____“Well then,” (Y/N)’s sister yelled, “I guess we all know what that means!”_ _ _ _

____A friend of Natsu spoke up, “What does it mean?”_ _ _ _

____“It means,” she exclaimed as she looked at the newlyweds, “that a cat set them up!”_ _ _ _

____Everyone laughed and cheered. Natsu and (Y/N) were laughing at something one of them said. Everyone looked to the corner of the seats and saw their landlord glaring at them._ _ _ _

____“I’ll let it slide until your leases are up, but _only_ because you invited me here.”_ _ _ _

____Everyone laughed as Happy strutted down the aisle singing happily to himself._ _ _ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! Sorry for the short delay, but I wanted to write a longer one and I kept erasing whatever I had because I just wasn't happy with it. Hope you enjoyed! Requests are still OPEN.


	31. Natsu x Best Friend!Reader (High School AU)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: (B/F/N) means boyfriend's name. Enjoy!

You and Natsu have been best friends since grade school. You two would always hang out together almost every day after school. That is, until you met (B/F/N). After you met him, you seemed to drift away from Natsu; you would only see him about once a week outside of school, and you would barely talk to him during school. His usual seat next to you was replaced by (B/F/N). Natsu would sit in the corner and watch you from afar. He got a bad feeling about (B/F/N), but he could never tell you. He tried once. Your boyfriend twisted it to make it seem like Natsu was jealous. So now, much to the protests of his gut, he stayed away. 

(B/F/N) was the popular guy, the guy on the football team, the school heartthrob. Natsu sighed as he watched you laugh at something (B/F/N) would say.

“Dude, quit staring. You’re being hella creepy.”

Natsu whipped his head around to his nemesis, Gray. 

“She’s my best friend. I can stare if I wanna!”

Gray snickered, “Yeah well it doesn’t seem like you’re best friends anymore.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Consider yourself dumped, Pinky.”

Natsu took one look over to you and (B/F/N) and groaned. 

“Hey does this mean I can make fun of you for it?” Gray joked. 

“I dare you to, Fullbuster. You do that and I’ll start a rumor about you and Juvia.”

\-----------------------------------------

“Natsu, there you are!”

Natsu turned around to see your (E/C) eyes shining brightly at him. 

“Uh, hey what’s up?”

You smiled and shrugged, “I just wanted to hang out with you. It’s been, like, forever. Don’t you think?”

Natsu gave his typical grin and dragged her to their usual outside lunch spot. Natsu scarfed down his lunch and watched as you picked at your food. You noticed his stare and started laughing before offering him the rest of your lunch. 

“I’m not that hungry anyway. I just wanted to hang out with you.”

They sat in silence for a minute before Natsu casually asked, “So how are things with you and (B/F/N)? I haven’t really been able to catch you lately.”

“Oh! He’s taking me to this super cool party tonight. You should totally come!”

“Uh, I think I’ll pass.”

You looked confused as you asked him why, and he just put it off that he had too much homework.

“Natsu,” you laughed, “you never do homework.”

Natsu blushed before defending, “I’ve been starting to lately. Levy’s been helping me.”

You smiled and let it drop. 

“(Y/N), let’s go!”

You turned around to see (B/F/N) standing there with some of his friends. Your eyes lit up and turned back to Natsu.

“I’ll see you around, ‘kay?”

\-------------------------------------------------

It was a couple days after the party, and Natsu hadn’t seen either you or (B/F/N) since. He started to get worried when on the third day he saw you. You both acted like usual, but Natsu could sense that something was off. (B/F/N) made out with you in the hallway before tapping your ass and walking towards his class. Natsu growled as he saw his best friend being treated with no respect. You just sighed and walked towards your locker. 

“Hey what’s up with (Y/N)?” Lucy asked as she passed by Natsu.

Natsu shrugged before watching you walk away. You had made your way back to your locker when you spotted something that made your heart drop. (B/F/N) was leaning up against your locker, making out with a girl. You gasped, your eyes never leaving the sight. If you were holding any books, they would have surely dropped. But fortunately (and unfortunately) for you, all your books were still in your locker. 

You could feel the stares from the others that were watching (B/F/N) kiss the other girl, but you kept your head held straight ahead and turned around to walk to class. It was a long day, and eventually you made it to lunch. You refused to sit with (B/F/N) and his friends, so you sat alone in the corner. You walked out of the school as soon as the bell rang and started to walk home. You lived pretty close to the school, so it was only a fifteen minute walk. 

Throughout the day, Natsu had heard what had happened between you and (B/F/N). He became worried when he didn’t see you sitting with your boyfriend at lunch, and he couldn’t find you anywhere. He had texted you multiple times and you didn’t answer a single one. He decided to confront (B/F/N) after school. He found him on the football field and rushed over to him, grabbing (B/F/N) by the collar of his shirt.

“What the hell were you thinking?! Don’t you know that she--”

“Let go, loser. I don’t have anything to say to someone who got friendzoned so hard that he didn’t even realize it.”

“What did you just say to me?!”

Gray had caught sight of them and ran over, grabbing Natsu and pulling him away from (B/F/N).

“Cool it, dude. This isn’t gonna solve anything.”

Natsu struggled in Gray’s arms before he stopped moving. 

“You stay away from her or else you’re gonna be sorry!” Natsu angrily shouted. 

Gray was able to successfully drag Natsu away from (B/F/N) and sighed, “You really need to learn to control that temper of yours. You’re gonna get yourself hurt. That dude’s on the varsity team for a reason.”

“I don’t care if he’s the fucking king. He’s not--”

“Dude, chill.”

Natsu huffed and shook Gray’s hold on him. He looked in the direction of your house and headed over to your favorite pizza shop. He ran to his house and snuck some alcohol out of his brother’s room and started walking to your house. It had started to pour when he got halfway there, so he was completely drenched by the time he got to your house. 

“Man I hope the pizza isn’t soggy.”

He ran under the small roof above your front door and knocked on the door. He looked in the driveway to see that the only car there was yours. Natsu tried calling your phone, but you didn’t pick up. He could clearly hear your phone ringing from up in your room on the second floor. He groaned and set the pizza and alcohol down before jogging over to below your window. The shades were down, so he couldn’t see in. 

“Well, if I break a window they can’t say it's completely my fault, right?” Natsu joked to himself before picking up a couple rocks. 

He got a couple pebbles to tap against your window, and he saw some movement. He continued to toss them at your window when he accidentally threw a bigger-than-expected rock and it struck the side of the house instead of the window, causing a huge “thump” to be heard.

“Oh shit. Whoopsies.” 

You shades flew up and you yanked your window open, looking down at Natsu with a shocked expression.

“Natsu, if you break my house you’ll never hear the end of it!”

Natsu shrugged and playfully counteed, “Well it’s a good thing your parents like talking to me then.”

You couldn’t help but have a small smile, but it was quickly overwhelmed by the immense sadness and betrayal that you had experienced earlier. Natsu noticed this quick change in demeanor before he put down the pebbles he had gathered. 

“I brought pizza?”

“I’m not really hungry, Natsu. You should get home. I’ll see you at school tomorrow.”

“I didn’t get soaking wet walking to your house for you to say no to pizza. I have booze too. I know you’re sad, so let me in.”

You looked around before shutting your window and pulling the shades down again. Natsu’s eyes twitched. 

“Did she seriously just ignore me like that?” Natsu muttered.

He heard a small click, and he grinned as he realized that she had unlocked the door. He sprinted inside and quickly took off his soaked coat.

“Ew. You’re not walking through the house in wet socks. Take them off.”

Natsu chuckled, “You know I’m soaked all over. Do you just want me to take it all off?”

“Let me go see if I have some clothes for you.”

You came back holding an outfit that Natsu had left the last time he slept over. Natsu breathed in relief before beginning to strip.

“Hey! What are you, an animal? Go into the bathroom!”

\--------------------------------------

“The pizza got soaked, didn’t it?” Natsu groaned. 

“It’s the thought that counts I guess. You know, you could’ve just called them to deliver it here instead of you walking across town for it in the rain. Maybe if you drove…”

“You know as well as I do that I can’t sit in a car.”

They fell silent before Natsu lifted the alcohol onto the kitchen counters. You laughed lightly.

“Where did you even get that?”

“My brother had some. He comes in handy sometimes.”

“I can see that.” 

“Listen, I’m really sorry that you--”

You waved your hand in front of him to silence him. You got out two glasses and started pouring alcohol. You downed about three shots before you went over to the couch. 

“Am I an idiot, Natsu?”

“What are you talking about? You’re like, in the top ten of our class.”

“That might be, but I really am an idiot for thinking that it would’ve worked out.”

“(Y/N), don’t let that asshole make you doubt yourself. You’re smarter than any other person I know--”

“Levy?”

“...Okay, second smartest. But still! He’s a dick and you shouldn’t base your worth on something that he did because he never even tried to treat you right.”

You just took a couple more shots.

“Uh, (Y/N), you’re gonna get sick if you keep--”

“Why would you bring booze if you’re not letting me get drunk?”

Natsu chuckled before filling up a shot of his own. 

“If I was asked at the beginning of the year about how I thought my senior year would go, I don’t think getting cheated on by a football player would’ve been any of my top answers,” you joked. 

Natsu plopped down beside you and ruffled your hair. You looked up at him to see that he had already taken three more shots. 

“We’re gonna be so fucking drunk,” you laughed.

\----------------------------------

“Would you still like me if I was a worm?”

“(Y/N), I think this is the drunkest I’ve seen you.”

“Are you saying you wouldn’t?” 

Natsu looked over to see that you had tears in your eyes. He sweatdropped before reassuring you that he would in fact still like you as a worm.

“Would you make me live in a little tank?”

“Would you want to be in a tank?”

“Maybe like a hybrid situation. I’ll stay in the tank at night by your bed and then in the day I’ll squirm outside.”

Natsu laughed before he took another shot. You suddenly stood up from the couch, confusing Natsu. You stood there for a minute before Natsu became concerned.

“You okay? Hafta pee or something?”

“Natsu…”

Natsu downed another shot before looking up at her to see that she had a weird look in her eyes. He raised an eyebrow and pressed her to continue. He froze when you turned to him and started straddling him on the couch. 

“U-uh, (N/N). What are you--”

You held his forearms tightly before you started to drift backwards. Natsu quickly moved his arms to stop you from falling. 

“Do you love me, Natsu?”

“O-of course I do. I’ve known you since forever.”

You moved your hands so they were grasping his shoulders and you stared into his eyes. Natsu started to squirm in discomfort and refused to meet your eyes. 

“I love you, Natsu. I’ve tried my hardest to push it down. I thought that (B/F/N) would be able to get me over you, but I just can’t seem to shake it…”

Natsu’s eyes widened at your confession and he took in a sharp breath. You let go of his shoulders and started to play with his hair.

“You’re just so sweet and caring. You know all my secrets and you’ve always been there for me. How could I not love you?”

Natsu’s heart started pounding as he listened to your words. You hugged him tightly as you continued to straddle him, your head leaning into his neck. Natsu stayed completely still. He could feel his neck starting to get wet. At first he thought it was his sweat, but he quickly realized that you were crying. 

“Hey,” Natsu breathed, “what’s wrong?”

“I just,” you started sobbing, “I just love you so much.”

Natsu’s arms were finally able to move, so he carefully wrapped them around you and hugged you gently. 

“(Y/N)...you’re really drunk. I don’t think you--”

“I don’t care how drunk I am. I know how I feel.”

You had held his face in your hands and looked into his soul. 

“(N/N), come on. Quit messing around. This is just plain cruel at this point.”

You went back to playing with his hair and looked at him confused. 

“But Natsu--”

“ _Please_ ,” Natsu pleaded. “I know that it’s hard right now and I know that you’re really, really drunk. But please, don’t play with my feelings.”

You ran your thumb over his forehead before pressing your foreheads together. Natsu’s breath hitched as you slowly brought your lips together. His grip on your back faltered, and you would have fallen backwards if you weren’t holding onto his shoulders. You gave him a bright smile mixed with your tears. 

“I promise you, Natsu. I’m not messing around. And I would never,” you drifted off as you brought your hands up to his cheek, “ever play with your feelings like that. You mean way too much to me.”

You leaned in to kiss him again, holding his cheek in one hand and one of his shoulders in the other. His hands slowly moved to rest on your thighs and pulled you closer. You deepened the kiss before you both started laughing too much to continue. 

“Why are you laughing?” Natsu asked through his own laughter. 

“I just didn’t realize that you didn’t know,” you said as you continued to giggle. “Now why are you laughing?”

He kissed you again before resting his forehead on yours, replying, “I’m just happy.”

You had somehow fallen on the floor, causing Natsu to start laughing again. You pulled him down with you and mocked his laughter. 

“Hey Natsu?”

“Hm?”

“Can I be your worm?”

Natsu howled with laughter before kissing her nose.

\--------------------------------

Bonus:

Your parents walked into the living room and were immediately greeted with the stench of vodka. 

“Oh, I’m going to kill her,” you mom seethed.

“I wouldn’t worry, honey,” you dad soothed. 

“What are you talking about?”

Your dad motioned to where you and Natsu lay, completely passed out on the floor cuddling each other. 

“Natsu texted me after school and gave me the rundown of what happened today. She needed to blow off some steam, and I figured that she would be safe with him.”

“Jesus, how much did they drink?”

“Wouldn’t you say this is a good thing, honey?”

“A good thing that our underage daughter and her friend got so drunk off vodka that they passed out?”

“Look,” your dad pointed to you and Natsu’s interlocked hands, “when he texted me, I knew that he would be the only one to cheer her up. Looks like it worked.”

Your mom huffed before grabbing a blanket and covering the two of you.

“Well it’s about time they got together,” your mom muttered, “It’s only been ten years.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Remember - requests are OPEN.


	32. Natsu x Reader: Cold Shoulder

She wasn’t talking to him. She made it very obvious that she was ignoring him, and Natsu tried everything to get her to stop giving him the cold shoulder. 

“So (Y/N), did you wanna do anything tonight?”

Silence. 

“We could go back to the guild and hang out with everyone if you wanna do that.”

Nothing. 

“Well if you don’t wanna do that then we can always just hang out here and—”

She left the room. Natsu groaned in frustration and got up from the couch to follow her. 

“I don’t know what I—”

“I’ll be heading out to the market, okay Happy?”

Natsu gave her a blank look, going to say something. She closed the door before he could say anything. 

“What’s going on with her?”

Natsu and Happy arrived at the guild, and Natsu went straight for the bar to order something to eat. Mira gave her usual smile and handed him his typical order. She looked at Natsu slyly. 

“So how are things with (Y/N)? I heard you two are going on a job tomorrow.”

Natsu groaned and laid his head on the bar. He let out a big breath and slowly looked back up to Mira. 

“She’s not talking to me.”

“Oh? How come?”

“I don’t know! I keep asking her what I did, but she won’t even say ‘hello’ to me!”

Happy floated over and stood on the bar. Natsu looked at him and smiled. 

“Hey buddy, you know why she’s mad, right? You mind telling me?”

“Sorry Natsu, but I don’t know either.”

Natsu huffed and placed his head back on the bar. 

“What’s up with you?” Gray asked sarcastically when he noticed the dragon slayer’s irritation. 

“None of your business, ice freak.”

Gray laughed loudly and smirked, asking, “What’s wrong hot head? Trouble in paradise? You know, it’s about time she got sick of you.”

“What did you just say to me?!”

The guildhall doors opened, revealing a (H/C) woman. She made her way over to her usual table with Team Natsu. Natsu studied her for a few seconds before he smiled and hopped off the bar seat. 

“Hey love, how was the market—”

(Y/N) looked up at him, stared at him right in the eyes, and sat up, walking up to the second level. Natsu held his mouth open, and the rest of the guild went wide eyed. She never went up there, even if she was an S-class wizard. She always preferred to stay and have fun with the rest of the guild. 

“Damn Natsu,” Lucy breathed. “You must’ve really messed up.”

“I don’t even know what I did!”

Natsu looked up to the second floor and huffed, stomping over to the stairs. 

“Hey! Get down here!”

“What did that dumbass do now?” Laxus laughed.

“Nothing.”

“Well it must be pretty bad for you to come up here.”

(Y/N) just pouted and sat down next to the lightning mage as she listened to Natsu.

\----------------------------------------------------------------

Natsu tried different things in hope that one of them would work. One attempt was his usual method of solving problems.

“(Y/N), fight me!”

She just glared at him, using her (M/T) to throw him across the guild. After defeating him, (Y/N) stepped up to the second level. She never said a word. 

“She’s killing me,” Natsu mumbled. “This sucks!”

“Why don’t you try figuring out what you did,” Lucy suggested.

“I’ve been trying, but she won’t talk to me.”

“Do some self reflection.”

“Selfish connection? What the hell is--”

“Self reflection, you idiot! It means you should try remembering what you did.”

Natsu stared at Lucy, let out an “oh” and sat at a table in the back corner as he tried to figure out what he did.

\--------------------------------------------------------

“Was it because Happy and I went fishing without you?”

Nothing.

“Okay, was it because I ate the leftover food without asking you?”

Silence.

“Maybe it was because I woke you in the middle of the night a couple nights ago. Is that it?”

Crickets.

“Then it has to be--”

“Happy,” (Y/N) spoke up, completely ignoring Natsu, “I’m going out to the park. I’ll be back later.”

“...Aye, sir.”

“Come on, love. You gotta give me a hint!”

\-----------------------------------------------------

“Hey Ash Brain, did you figure it out yet?”

“No, but I got a plan!”

“Oh god,” Lucy mumbled. “What’s your plan?”

“You’ll see!”

Natsu had snuck home and put his plan in action, running around all over the house. He opened every cabinet, every drawer, every closet. This will get her to talk to him. And he was sure of it.

\----------------------------------------------

(Y/N) was cooking dinner when she looked confused.

“That’s strange.”

Natsu smirked.

“Is everything alright?”

“Hey Happy, have you seen the can opener around? It’s not in the drawer.”

Happy floated into the room and helped look for it, eventually finding it on top of the fridge.  
Natsu huffed and stomped out of the room.

\-----------------------------------------------

“Happy, have you seen the hair drying lacrima around?”

“I never use it, (Y/N). I have no idea where you put it in the first place.”

(Y/N) groaned and continued to look for it. Natsu sat at the couch, smiling to himself when he heard (Y/N) continue to search the entire bathroom. She looked over to the couch and made eye contact with Natsu before she “tsk”ed and shut the bathroom door. A few minutes later, she came out, a towel wrapped around her head. 

\-------------------------------------------

“Why isn’t this damn thing opening?” (Y/N) muttered to herself. 

The pickle jar was completely sealed, and no matter how hard she twisted it, the lid would not budge. She used both hands, her shirt, a knife and even a towel, but nothing was working. 

“I just want a pickle,” she whined. 

She looked to the drawer and giggled, completely forgetting about the rubber grips for jar opening. She smiled to herself and put the jar on the counter, happily opening the drawer. Her face fell when she couldn’t find the opener. She moaned and glared at the jar.

Natsu heard her whines and peeked his head around the corner.

“Did you need something?”

(Y/N) looked down at the jar and sighed before placing it back in the fridge and getting her coat.

“Happy, I’ll be back. I have to go somewhere.” 

\-----------------------------------------------------------

“Happy, I’m going over to Lucy’s.”

“Will you bring me back a fish?” Happy excitedly asked. 

(Y/N) smiled and nodded. She went into the bedroom and slowly walked back into the living room.

“Hey Happy,” she started, both confused and annoyed, “have you seen my left shoe?”

“Why your left shoe?”

“Because my right one is over there. The left one is...missing.”

“Sorry (N/N), but I haven’t seen it.”

She scoffed and walked back into the bedroom, stomping out the door in her bunny slippers.

“How is she still not caving?” Natsu asked in wonder. “There’s only one option left.”

\-----------------------------------------------------------

(Y/N) came back from Lucy’s rather late, so she hoped to just crawl into bed and sleep. She opened the door and let out a breath before breathing in the smell of home. She looked down at her slippers and laughed at herself. 

“Good thing I wasn’t going anywhere fancy,” she joked to herself. 

She tossed her keys on the counter and sat on the couch. After debating with herself about where to sleep, she entered the bedroom to change. She smiled when she saw Natsu sleeping soundly, but a frown replaced it. She sighed to herself and went to grab her blanket. She looked around in the dark and came up empty. After turning the light on and still not finding it, she began to panic. That was her favorite blanket, and she slept with it every night. In fact, the nights that she didn’t sleep with it, she had nightmares. 

She looked under the bed, behind the bed. She looked over, under and around Natsu and still came up empty. It wasn’t on the couch. It wasn’t near Happy’s sleep space. It wasn’t in the bathroom closet with the towels. She frantically looked everywhere before she opened the closet and started rummaging through it. She started tossing things into the hallway. Brooms, toys, fishing poles and extra pots and pans. 

A few minutes later, (Y/N) was pacing in the living room. She re-checked the couch and under the cushions. She even checked outside on the clothes line in case, but the blanket was nowhere to be found. She sat down on the couch with her head in her hands when it clicked. She let out a low growl and stomped into the bedroom.

“Natsu!” (Y/N) shouted as she whipped a pillow at him.

“What? What? Who’s there?”

She saw Natsu look around frantically when his eyes landed on her and he sighed in relief. He smiled softly and greeted her.

“Hey love, I didn’t think you’d be back so late.”

“Where is it?” She hissed.

“Where’s what?”

“The blanket you gave me. Where is it?!”

Natsu smiled innocently and swung his legs off the bed. 

“I don’t really know what you’re talking about.”

“You know I can’t sleep without that blanket. Now where is it?”

“Well, maybe if you would tell me what’s wrong…”

“What’s wrong is that you hid my blanket!”

Natsu patted the spot next to him. She glared at him for a few seconds before slowly sitting next to him with her hands on her lap. She made small fists as she tried to keep up the cold shoulder. He wrapped his arm around her shoulder and pulled her into his side, (Y/N) staying quiet the whole time.

“Now, are you ready to tell me what I did?”

She stayed silent before she released his hold on her and stood up. Natsu thought that she was ignoring his deal, so he groaned. 

“(Y/N), I really have no idea--”

“You cheated on me!”

“Wh...what? You think I cheated on you? Why? With who? When?”

“You told me last night!”

“What are you talking about?”

“We were at Akane Beach and we were having fun in the sand and then you told me you were cheating on me with Cana!”

“...Was this a dream?”

“Yes!”

“So just so we’re clear,” Natsu started as he stood up, “you’re mad at me because I cheated...in a dream?”

“Of course I am!”

Natsu’s eyes twitched.

“You’re telling me this whole time I didn’t even do anythi--”

“You cheated!”

“I did all this selfish connection for you and it was all a dream?!”

(Y/N)’s anger was momentarily replaced with curiosity and she asked, “What the heck is selfish connection?” 

“You know, trying to remember something that you did.”

“Do you mean _self reflection_?”

“Whatever it’s called! I thought that I did something all day.”

“But you did--”

_“In a dream.”_

“Yeah, but...my dreams are always eerily true.”

Natsu sighed when he saw the saddened look on her face and walked closer to her, pulling her into a tight hug.

“I promise you that it’s not gonna come true.” 

“But you and Cana--”

“(N/N), Cana and I don’t even talk that much, especially outside of the guildhall.”

(Y/N) slowly hugged back, burying her head in his chest. He gently rubbed her back and slowly rocked. 

“You promise?”

Natsu held both her cheeks and kissed her forehead.

“I promise. Now let’s get your blanket back.”

Natsu pulled the blanket out of the laundry basket, making (Y/N) sweatdrop.

“It was in there...the entire time?”

Natsu chuckled and wrapped her in the blanket before setting her on the bed.

“Goodnight, love.”

\--------------------------------------------------------------

Happy, Natsu and (Y/N) walked into the guildhall, all three of them talking to each other.

“Well I guess the loser finally found out,” Gray observed. 

Lucy spoke up, “I wonder what it was.”

“Hey guys! What’s up?” Natsu shouted in a typical Natsu way.

“Did you guys make up?” Erza questioned.

Natsu and (Y/N) looked at each other before (Y/N) smiled sheepishly. She went to say something, but Happy beat her to it.

“She had a bad dream!”

“A...dream?”

“Yeah, she said that Natsu was cheating on her in the dream and she got very upset.”

They looked at (Y/N) and all started joking around.

“Who? Flamebrain over here? He barely has the romantic intelligence to have a relationship with you.”

“You wanna say that again, stripper?”


	33. Natsu x Single Parent!Reader

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Hey y'all. I've been working on this one all week because I just couldn't get it to write how I wanted it to. It's kind of long. Well, longer than most of the other ones. Anyways, I hope you're enjoying! Feel free to leave a request!
> 
> (Also sorry for the sucky ending, but as I said this one just wasn't coming to me. Oops.)
> 
> (C/N) = child's name

“Wow look at you,” (Y/N) cooed as she picked up her daughter. “You have a lot of hair on that little head of yours now.”

The baby just babbled and laughed when (Y/N) started gently nuzzling their noses together. (Y/N)’s face twisted in disgust as she caught a whiff of her daughter’s diaper. 

“You’re a stinky baby. Let’s get you changed, and then we can go for a walk!”

(Y/N) went to her apartment closet and got out a new diaper before walking back into the bedroom and changing her. The little girl squirmed as (Y/N) struggled to wipe her.

“You gotta stay still,” (Y/N) laughed. “It’ll be done so much faster. Don’t you want a clean bum?”

After a few minutes of going through the usual struggle that happened when she changed diapers, (Y/N) quickly dressed her daughter and grabbed the stoller and travel bag. 

“Do you want your blankie?”

The little girl made an incoherent noise, and (Y/N) laughed and tucked her in with the blanket. She playfully held her daughter’s favorite stuffed animal in front of her. 

“And what about Miss Ellie the Elephant?”

The baby started laughing and reached her hands up to hold her stuffed animal. After everything was settled, they left the apartment and rolled around the block, (Y/N) pointing out the different colors so they could work on getting her to talk. (Y/N) hummed her favorite song to her as she pushed the stroller around. A couple people stopped her and asked to see the little girl, and she smiled wide before slowly lifting the hood to the stroller. Some people leaned in and tickled her stomach as they spoke to her in baby talk. (Y/N) smiled at all the attention her daughter was getting. It was just the two of them, so she was sure that the baby loved when she got attention from people other than her mother. 

“Aw. What a cute little baby wabey you are,” a blonde woman started gushing as she approached the stroller. “Can I see her?”

“Of course!” (Y/N) approved as she lifted the hood again. 

“Oh look at your little hands! You’re so cute. And your cheeks!”

(Y/N) laughed as the woman continued to speak to the little girl. She waved someone over.

“Natsu, come look at this baby. She’s the cutest thing ever.”

A guy with salmon hair slowly walked over to them and peeked over the woman’s shoulder to look at the baby. He chuckled and teased the woman. 

“Wow Lucy. Someone has baby fever.”

“Oh hush you. How can you not love this little angel?”

Natsu looked at the baby and laughed before wiggling his finger and watching the little girl squeal in excitement. He leaned in closer and poked her stomach. Natsu gasped when the baby gripped at his hair and started pulling. 

“Oh no. I’m so sorry! I should’ve told you that she likes to pull hair. Sweetheart, you have to let go.”

The girl just giggled and continued to hold onto his head. Natsu chuckled and tickled her stomach again, causing the baby to start to excitedly babble to him. 

“Really? You think so?” Natsu playfully kept up the conversation with the girl. 

“Looks like she likes you, Natsu,” Lucy observed. 

(Y/N) continued to urge the girl to let go of his hair, but she wasn’t listening.

“What’s her name?” Natsu asked as he struggled to look up at (Y/N) from his position.

“(C/N).”

“Aw. That’s such a pretty name,” Lucy gushed. 

Natsu turned his attention back to the girl and laughed as he pointed to her elephant. 

“And who’s this little animal?”

(C/N) giggled and started to say something that nobody could understand. (Y/N) laughed and continued to convince her to let go of his hair. 

“That’s Ellie the Elephant. She’s her favorite, right (C/N)?”

(C/N) used her free hand to pull her stuffed animal closer to her before pushing it in Natsu’s face. (Y/N) scolded her and apologized again. Natsu just smiled and waved it off. 

“That’s a really cool animal you have there,” he continued. “You must love them a lot.”

The little girl squealed again and started squirming in her blanket. 

“How old is she?”

“Seven months.”

“Oh crap. I’m late for my meeting with my landlady,” Lucy complained. “Natsu, I’ll see you later.”

With that, Lucy left Natsu alone as he was imprisoned by the baby.

“Wow, talk about cold ditch,” Natsu joked. 

“I’m really sorry. Her grip should give out soon. I would try to stop it, but she just pulls harder.”

“Don’t worry about it.”

Natsu laughed loudly when (C/N)’s other hand started pulling on him. 

“I guess we have a little while longer now.”

“(C/N), my baby bean, can you please let go?”

She just giggled and continued to make talking noises. 

“Can I hold her? I mean, she’s kinda holding me,” Natsu teased. 

(Y/N) thought for a minute before she nodded. Natsu gently picked the girl up and held her out, careful not to hold her too far out so that his hair wouldn’t be pulled out. 

“You’re a little baby of steel grip, aren’t you?”

She started making motor sounds, but she had let go of his hair. Natsu smiled and started to put her back down when she started to cry. 

“What’s wrong?” (Y/N) frantically asked. “Are you hungry? Do you want your blankie? Is it time for a nappy?”

Natsu stopped and stood up straight again, holding (C/N) and lifting her up again. She stopped crying and giggled. 

“Are you in a happy mood?” Natsu questioned. “Well you better get back to your little Ellie before she misses you.”

He started to lower her again, and just like before, the little girl started crying. He chuckled and held her on his hip, ceasing the crying.

“I’m so sorry.”

“Does someone like being held?” Natsu cooed. 

“She usually only likes to be held by me or my close friend.”

“Oh really?” Natsu questioned before he bent down and spoke to (C/N). “You must really like me then.”

(Y/N) looked on and watched as the stranger continued to talk and play with her daughter. She was shocked at how easily he got her to play. After ten minutes, Natsu stood up and smiled at (Y/N). 

“Sorry to play and run, but I gotta get somewhere.”

(C/N) started to cry again, thrashing her arms and legs under the blanket. Natsu leaned in and grabbed her stuffed animal before tucking it under her arm.

“It was nice to meet you, uh…”

“(Y/N).”

“Well (Y/N), you have a really great little baby.” Natsu turned back to the child and cooed, “Isn’t that right?”

Natsu waved goodbye and started to walk down the street, leaving (Y/N) and (C/N) to finish their walk. The baby was fussy the rest of the walk, so (Y/N) brought her back to the apartment and tried to lay her down. She kept kicking and screaming, and (Y/N) tried everything to soothe her. 

“What’s wrong, sweetie? You haven’t had your nap yet. You should be tired by now.”

The little girl threw her pacifier across the floor and screamed. (Y/N) sighed and picked it up, walking over to the sink and rinsing it off. She leaned over the crib and rubbed (C/N)’s head and started humming again. The baby seemed to calm down a little, and she eventually fell asleep after an hour. (Y/N) let out a breath and laid on the couch with the baby monitor sitting next to her. 

\------------------------------------------

It was the next day, and (Y/N) and (C/N) were out for their regular walk. They passed by all the trees and flowers, and (C/N) would giggle and point. A couple people asked to see her, so (Y/N) lifted the hood for them. She started to squeal and babble suddenly. When (Y/N) looked up to see what she was so excited about, she saw Natsu walking by with his attention on his phone. He seemed to be on a call, as he was talking to someone. Natsu caught the sight of a stroller in the corner of his eyes, and he smiled when he recognized the pair. 

He spoke into the phone, “Hey I’ll call you back later.”

He approached the two of them and grinned. He looked in the stroller and saw (C/N) giggling and smiling brightly. 

“Well hello there. Fancy meeting you here.”

She started babbling and making motor noises at him. He shifted his eyes towards (Y/N).

“Do you always take her for a walk?”

“Every day. It’s good to get fresh air, plus I’m working on her words. I’m trying with colors.”

Natsu chuckled and leaned down, tickling the baby’s sides. 

“Hey, where’s your little Ellie?”

“She wanted to try walking with Jeff today.”

Natsu looked inside the carriage and laughed, looking up at (Y/N) and joking, “Jeff the Giraffe?”

“She also has Pingu the Penguin, Myrtle Turtle and Penelope the Pelican.”

“You have a whole zoo, don’t you?”

(C/N) reached for Natsu’s head, and he pulled away just in time to dodge her grip. She looked like she was about to start crying, and (Y/N) panicked.

“Oh no not again. She’s been acting fussy lately and I don’t know why.”

Natsu asked to pick her up, and she stopped crying when he did. 

“Hmm, are you teething, (C/N)? Is that why you’re giving your mom a hard time?” 

“She’s usually pretty fine with that. She started early, around four months.”

“Do you have a stinky diaper?”

“I checked before we left. And I don’t smell anything now.”

“Let’s see,” Natsu playfully pondered as he looked at (C/N) and held her on his hip, “you wouldn’t be so grumpy because you missed your favorite person, would you?”

(C/N) just stared up at Natsu and started to go “bababa.”

“Is that her way of saying she’s hungry?”

“No,” (Y/N) laughed. “You would think, but that’s just her singing.”

“Singing? Wow (C/N), you’re quite the talent!”

She giggled and sang louder. He played with her a little more when his phone started to ring.

“Well (C/N), I gotta take this, but maybe we can play again soon.”

He waved goodbye and started walking down the street, talking to whoever was calling him. (C/N) started to sniffle, and soon she was screaming.

“Honey, what’s wrong? You usually love going for walks. Is something bothering you?”

She kept crying, (Y/N) picking her up and trying to snuggle her. She eventually calmed down and grabbed (Y/N)’s cheeks and squished them. (Y/N) laughed and stuck her tongue out at her baby. 

“Let’s get you home, ‘kay? You can take your nap and then we can play a little!”

\---------------------------------------------------

This went on for about two weeks. Natsu and (Y/N) would run into each other on their walks, (C/N) and Natsu would play a little, and then (C/N) became upset when he left. (Y/N) shrugged it off as her daughter just wanting to play with someone other than herself. 

“There’s my favorite little baby!”

(Y/N) smiled when she saw Natsu jogging over to them. He crouched down to (C/N)’s level and smiled wide.

“I got you a little something.”

Natsu handed (C/N) a stuffed animal, introducing it as “Lammy the Lamb.” The little girl immediately took the lamb and let out a squeal in happiness. 

“Natsu, you really didn’t need to.”

“I know, but I saw it in a store window and thought she’d like it.”

Natsu grinned at her, insisting that it wasn’t a problem. (Y/N) thanked him again and looked down to see that (C/N) was happily playing with her new stuffed animal. 

“Now (C/N),” (Y/N) started, “what do you say?”

“Bababa.”

“Oh? I get a little song as a thank you? What a lucky guy I am!”

He picked her up from the stroller and spun her around, the baby laughing the whole time. He settled her down on his hip and tickled her stomach. 

“You have a tickly tummy, don’t you?” Natsu said as he chuckled and tickled her again. 

“You should see what she’s like when someone tickles her feet. She goes nuts.”

Natsu raised an eyebrow and smirked at the baby. 

“You’re not wearing any shoes today, little girl.”

“Yeah, she put up a huge fight this morning, and I could only get the left one on. So today is a no shoe day.”

“So that means,” Natsu said as he steadied her with one arm, “that your feet are open.”

He started tickling her feet and (C/N) laughed so loud that it sounded like an engine revving. Natsu started laughing at her as he continued to tickle her. The laughter of both of them was contagious, and (Y/N) started laughing along. Natsu stopped after a few minutes and held the baby in front of him and smiled.

“So how have you been?” Natsu addressed (Y/N). “Are you still working on that website?”

“Yeah, but it’s almost done. They said I would have to go back into the office once I finish, so I’m not looking forward to that.”

“That sucks. They should really give parents more time.”

“I mean, I was only supposed to get two months, but my boss was nice enough to let me work from home.”

Natsu nodded and they spoke for a few minutes with (C/N) resting on Natsu’s hip. He looked down at her and smiled. 

“I gotta go, but I’ll see you tomorrow, ‘kay?”

(C/N)’s face dropped and her lip started quivering.

“Aw, don’t be sad. I’ll be back. Promise.”

He carefully set her back down in the stroller and smiled at her before turning and continuing down the street. As always, (C/N) became irritable and moody for a couple hours after they returned home, but she eventually settled down enough to be put down for a nap. (Y/N) took Ellie from the floor and tucked her in next to her daughter and laid the blanket over her.

“Momma will be right out there, okay? I love--”

She was cut off by a scream. (Y/N) sighed and leaned down inside the crib to stroke her cheek. She was shocked when she saw Ellie being thrown out of the crib. 

“But sweetie, that’s your favorite sleepy time friend.”

The baby twisted and squirmed as she cried. (Y/N) tried the other stuffed animals, and even some of her toys, but she wouldn’t settle down with any of them. She slowly looked towards the stroller and raised her eyebrow. She stepped over and grabbed the lamb before setting it down next to (C/N). The baby grabbed Lammy and started speaking and blowing bubbles at it. 

“I guess you have a new favorite.”

She looked down to see that (C/N) was already asleep and let out a breath of relief. 

\---------------------------------------------------------

“Bababa, bababa ba ba.”

“Hey you, I think I’ve seen you here before,” Natsu joked. 

(Y/N) rolled her eyes and met Natsu halfway. She pointed to her stuffed animal.

“Ellie got evicted.”

“Seriously? But that’s Ellie!”

“She threw her across the room when she went for her nap. Actually, she threw everyone out except for Lammy.”

Natsu chuckled and picked (C/N) up.

“I guess I picked out a great friend, eh?”

The baby laughed and went to grab his hair.

“Oh, so we’re back on this again?” Natsu playfully scolded. 

“She’s not hurting you, is she?” (Y/N) asked worriedly. 

Natsu waved it off.

“I had an older brother that used to torture me when I was little, so this is nothing.”

(Y/N) and Natsu talked about whatever came to their minds. They heard baby babbles and looked down. 

“Are you free?”

(Y/N) slowly nodded.

“I have the day off today, so I was wondering if you maybe wanted to head to the park or something.”

“Oh, I wouldn’t want to waste your--”

(C/N) started to scream. They both whipped their heads to her. Natsu started bouncing her gently. 

“What do you think? You wanna go to the park?”

She started happily raising her hands and shaking them. 

“I guess it’s settled then.” Natsu looked at (Y/N) and teased, “(C/N) and I are going to the park if you wanna come.”

(Y/N) shook her head as she smiled, all three of them walking towards the park. They decided to sit on a bench in the shade, taking in the slight breeze. Natsu continued to hold (C/N), and she fell asleep on his chest.

“Someone was sleepy.”

“She usually goes down for a nap after we finish our walk.”

Natsu hummed and shifted his eyes next to him where (Y/N) was sitting. 

“I’m not gonna mess with her schedule by making you guys come here, am I?”

“All we usually do is have her take a nap and then we play a little. And it looks like you’re not messing with her naptime.”

They both laughed and looked down at the baby sleeping peacefully. 

“She loves you.”

“Really?”

“She gets so upset whenever we get home from the walk and she cries and screams until she falls asleep. As soon as she sees you on the street she starts laughing. I’ve never seen her do that with anyone before.”

Natsu smiled down at the baby and admitted, “I’m glad. I’ve actually gotten pretty attached, if you could believe that.”

(Y/N) leaned over and gently stroked (C/N)’s cheek, taking in the sight of her sleeping daughter. 

“This might be a touchy subject, so just let me know and I’ll drop it, but you never talk about her father.”

“He died in a car crash a couple months after I got pregnant.” 

“I’m so sorry. I could never even imagine going through that. Do you have anyone that helps you? Like a boyfriend or--”

“None of the guys I date ever stick around when they see I have a kid,” (Y/N) laughed. “I guess some people are afraid of that. But my friend Levy and her fiancé help me whenever they can. Though he’s not that much of a baby person. She’s great though.”

“Well if you ever have any issues, I can always lend a hand.”

“Thank you, Natsu, but I mean...you’ve done so much already.”

“What are you talking about? You just said I make your baby throw tantrums,” Natsu joked. 

(Y/N) rolled her eyes, but couldn’t help but smile. She looked down at her daughter, her eyes softening.

“Hey, so uh, do you maybe wanna grab a coffee or something another day? It’s understandable if it’s too soon for you.”

(Y/N) looked up at Natsu confused. He quickly looked away and continued, his ears turning red.

“I mean, I know that you’re probably a wicked busy person, but I just wanted to ask in case.”

She looked at him in shock.

“You’re...not intimidated?”

Natsu laughed and pointed down to the sleeping baby.

“I don’t think she’s very intimidating, but what do I know? She could actually be a real devil.”

She turned to the stroller and got out (C/N)’s blanket, asking if she could drape it over her daughter. Natsu grabbed the blanket and gently covered the baby, careful not to cover her head. 

“I could stay in this park all day,” Natsu breathed. “It’s so peaceful.This so beats the office.”

“Yeah, until she wakes up,” (Y/N) joked. “She always wakes up very hungry.”

Natsu hung his head over the back of the bench and closed his eyes. 

“So is that a yes to the coffee?” 

“Yes. But I just need to make sure that my friend is able to watch her.”

“What are you talking about?” Natsu chuckled. “Just bring her with you.”

“Really? You’d actually be okay with her coming?”

“Why not? Then you don’t have to worry about babysitting.”

“You’re a strange guy, Natsu.”

“You think? I kinda get that a lot.”

\------------------------------------------------------

“Are you ready for the date, baby bean?”

(C/N) looked up at her mother with a blank look.

“Okay,” (Y/N) thought before she smiled and continued, “then are you ready to see Natsu?”

Her eyes immediately lit up and she started excitedly babbling and swinging her legs around. (Y/N) laughed and packed a couple of bottles and other supplies in her travel bag. She met Natsu at the front entrance to her apartment building, and they walked to the local coffee shop. (C/N) demanded to be held by Natsu, so (Y/N) pushed the empty stroller while Natsu carried the baby down the street. 

“I’m starting to think she likes you better than me,” (Y/N) muttered.

Natsu just grinned wide and ushered her inside the coffee shop. They sat down and ordered hot chocolates. (Y/N) opened the travel bag and took out a small bowl of pureed vegetables. (C/N) took one look at the food and turned away. Natsu chuckled.

“I guess she’s a picky eater?”

“She hates vegetables, but she needs them.”

(Y/N) tried giving her a spoonful, but she just pushed it away and started screaming. (Y/N) started panicking and tried to calm her daughter down before she bothered all of the customers. 

“Come on, beanie baby. You gotta eat at least one spoonful.”

She just glared at her mother. Natsu waved for (Y/N) to give him the food.

“You wanna have an eating contest?”

(C/N) looked at him curiously. 

“Whoever can eat more spoonfuls of food gets a special prize.”

The baby looked at him and waited for him to continue. Natsu raised his eyebrow at (Y/N) to silently ask what the prize would be. She took out a small bag of animal crackers. Natsu turned back to (C/N) and smirked.

“Whoever eats more food gets some animal crackers.”

The little girl started giggling in her highchair. Natsu took the bowl and grabbed the spoon before holding it in front of her. She looked at it and started to turn away when Natsu reminded her about the prize. She reluctantly turned back around and ate the food. Natsu took another spoon and held it to his mouth.

“Natsu, you really don’t have to--”

Natsu just looked at her with a mischievous glint in his eyes and pretended to eat the food before quickly placing the spoon back in the bowl before she could notice that there was still food on the spoon. (C/N) started giggling and wiggling in her chair in amusement. She took another spoonful, and Natsu pretended to eat again. They continued this until about half the bowl was gone and (Y/N) waved to say that it was enough. 

“Man, I can’t eat another bite,” Natsu moaned. “I guess you win.”

(C/N) squeaked and banged her hands on the table. (Y/N) opened the bag of animal crackers and gave her some. She happily gripped the crackers and ate them. 

“Yeah, she definitely likes you better than me.”

“Nah. I’m just a master briber.”

They both laughed, (Y/N) thanking him. They both enjoyed their drinks and watched as the little girl ate her crackers. 

“Hey (C/N), can I have one?”

She carefully handed over a cracker. Natsu grinned and looked at it.

“Wow, I got an elephant. I must be special.”

\-------------------------------------------------------

“Come on, (C/N). Let’s go play with the blocks!”

It had been about two months since their first date, and Natsu had been coming over very often. They were currently building towers. (C/N) sat up and pushed the blocks over, making Natsu’s tower fall. He gasped and crossed his arms.

“You broke my tower!”

Natsu playfully pushed her tower down, earning a giggle from the little girl. (Y/N) looked on fondly as the two played. Natsu’s phone rang, so he had to leave her momentarily. He took the call in the hallway. (C/N) took it upon herself to crawl over to the front door and wait there patiently for him to return. (Y/N) went to move her, but she started screaming. She quietly shushed her daughter so she wouldn’t interrupt the call and asked her to at least back up from the door so she wouldn’t get hurt. (C/N) listened and crawled a few feet back, sitting in the middle of the hallway. Natsu slipped back into the apartment and looked down, laughing when he saw her expectantly waiting for him to come back.

“Were you waiting for me, tiny tater?”

She laughed and lifted her arms up, asking to be picked up. Natsu grinned and quickly crouched down to lift her up on his hip. 

“You wanna play blocks or bother your momma?”

(C/N) giggled and pointed to the kitchen. Natsu laughed loudly before quietly walking behind (Y/N). (C/N) reached her hands out and grabbed the back of her mother’s neck. (Y/N) jumped from the sudden contact and turned around to see them both smirking at her.

“I’m cooking,” she said simply.

(C/N) reached out for her mother and (Y/N) quickly took her. Natsu offered to take over the cooking so they could go play. They quietly played with the blocks when (Y/N)’s tower was knocked down. 

“Oh yeah,” Natsu spoke from the kitchen when he heard the blocks fall, “your daughter is a little bully.”

Dinner was finished cooking, they all sat at the table. Natsu placed a bowl of oatmeal in front of the girl and served the chicken that was cooked for him and (Y/N). (C/N) took one look at the oatmeal and pursed her lips. 

“Come on, baby bean. You gotta have a little.”

(C/N) looked over to Natsu to see if he would get her out of it, but Natsu just looked at her and raised his eyebrows. 

“I’m not gonna help you escape your momma. Her word is final.”

She went to grab some chicken off Natsu’s plate and he laughed. He looked over at (Y/N) for permission and when she nodded her head, Natsu made a deal with the little girl. 

“Tell you what. If you eat a little bit of your oatmeal, I’ll give you some chicken.”

(C/N) reluctantly ate her oatmeal and turned to Natsu once she took one spoonful. Natsu laughed and said that she needed to eat more. They did this for every spoonful that she took. Once half the bowl was gone, Natsu nodded and started to cut up some of his chicken into little pieces. 

\-----------------------------------------------------

(Y/N) looked over at her now one-year-old and smiled. Natsu was laying on the couch asleep, and (C/N) was asleep on his chest. She quietly walked over to them and tapped Natsu’s shoulder. He lazily opened his eyes and smiled when he saw her standing over him. 

“You have to get to work soon,” she whispered. 

Natsu hummed and went to sit up when he saw the sleeping child on him. He chuckled and slowly leaned on his forearms to lift up a little. (Y/N) gently lifted her daughter off him, allowing him to stand up. He kissed (Y/N) quickly before leaning down and kissing the top of (C/N)’s head and walking out of the apartment. 

“I’ll be over later tonight.”

\------------------------------------------------------

“Can you say ‘mama,’ beanie baby?”

(C/N) stayed silent. 

“Say ‘mama.’”

She just giggled and started crawling towards the corner of the room and picked up Lammy. 

“Can you say ‘Lammy?’”

She just made motor sounds and brought Lammy over to the playhouse that Natsu got her for her birthday. She sat down at the little table and placed Lammy across from her and started making incoherent conversation with the stuffed animal. (Y/N) sighed and walked over to the small stack of books she had and picked up the baby development book. She heard the door open and felt a soft kiss on her cheek.

“Where’s (C/N)?”

(Y/N) silently pointed to the playhouse and continued to read the book.

“Whatcha looking for?”

“It says that she’s supposed to be saying simple words at this point. But she’s still only babbling.”

“Hmm,” Natsu thought out loud as he looked over her shoulder to see the small chart. “(C/N), you wanna come here?”

They heard a little giggle before she came quickly crawling over and sat at Natsu’s feet. He picked her up and kissed her forehead as a hello and set her down on the couch.

“Your momma said you can be starting to talk now. You wanna give it a try?”

(C/N) laughed and kicked her legs.

“Who’s this?” Natsu asked as he held Lammy.

She babbled and reached her hands out to take the stuffed animal and Natsu immediately gave it to her. He held up an orange and asked her again. She made a disgusted face and looked away.

“Who’s that?” Natsu asked as he pointed to (Y/N). 

(C/N)’s eyes lit up and held her arms out to be picked up. (Y/N) sighed and lifted her off the couch and kissed her nose. 

“You’ll get it eventually, right?”

“Bababa ba ba baba.”

“Hey there’s my little singing star!” Natsu exclaimed. 

She laughed and hugged her mother’s neck, resting her head there. (Y/N) laid one of her hands on her back and gently rubbed it. (C/N) started to drift off, so (Y/N) slowly walked to her daughter’s bedroom. She started crying, and Natsu went into the room to check in on the two. 

“She forgot Lammy.”

Natsu went back into the living room and grabbed Lammy from the couch and brought it in. (C/N) smiled when she saw Lammy and grabbed it from Natsu. She gave her mother a wet kiss on her cheek and giggled. She was set down in her crib and kissed back by (Y/N). Natsu stepped by the crib and waved a goodnight before turning around to leave the pair so that (Y/N) could sing (C/N) to sleep. 

“Dada!”

Natsu stopped walking and looked over his shoulder. (Y/N)’s mouth hung open and looked between the two of them.

“Uh, (C/N), what did you just say?” (Y/N) asked, shocked.

“Dada!”

“Yeah, that’s what I thought you said,” she muttered. 

Natsu slowly returned to the crib and looked in. (C/N) smiled and held her hands up.

“Dada!”

Natsu laughed nervously as he looked at (Y/N)’s glare. He hesitantly picked her up and looked at her. 

“Dada, dada! Bababa ba ba!”

Natsu chuckled at the girl’s singing and smiled softly at her. He kissed her head and set her back down in the crib.

He leaned in and whispered, “Your momma’s gonna kill me.”

“Dada!”

They both said their good-nights to (C/N) and left the room. They sat in silence in the living room, both sitting at opposite ends of the couch. (Y/N) finally lifted her head and spoke up.

“I completely understand if you’re freaked out. It’s fine if you think this is too serious for you.”

“Wha...no. That’s not the case at all. I promise.”

“Okay,” (Y/N) said before she reached over and smacked him while glaring at him, “I can’t believe she said that before she called me! That’s so unfair.”

Natsu looked over and chuckled before scooting closer to her and kissing her. 

“Told you I was good with kids,” Natsu snickered.

“Shut up!”

\-------------------------------------------

“Come on, baby bean. Walk over to momma!”

Natsu and (Y/N) spent their Saturday trying to teach (C/N) how to walk. Natsu held her up to steady her and (Y/N) waved at her excitedly to coax her into walking towards her. 

“Up, up!”

Natsu laughed as he looked down at the little girl and said that she should try. 

“Dada, up!” (C/N) demanded.

(Y/N) groaned and laid on her back on the floor. 

“Why don’t we take a break?”

(Y/N) lifted her head and rolled her eyes, letting out a frustrated “fine” before getting up off the floor. Natsu picked (C/N) up and sat on the couch. She squirmed a little so she could turn around and grabbed his hair.

“Dada!”

“You still have that hair grabbing thing, huh?”

(C/N) just laughed and gave Natsu a slobbery kiss on his cheek. He chuckled and set her to the side. They all relaxed for ten minutes, (Y/N) laying on the floor and Natsu teasing (C/N) with Lammy. They decided to try again, and Natsu and (Y/N) switched roles. 

“If she starts to immediately walk to you I am going to scream.”

Natsu laughed and knelt down, waving her over. (C/N) took one step forward before dragging herself to the floor. Sensing that she liked the other way they did it, Natsu and (Y/N) reverted to their original roles. (C/N) looked at her mother and giggled. Natsu guided her along, and she eventually stepped towards (Y/N). Natsu and (Y/N) continued to work with her the whole week, and she was eventually able to wobble over to them from a short distance. 

(Y/N) picked her up and spun her around, exclaiming, “You did it!”

\--------------------------------------------------

“How attached are you to this apartment?” Natsu casually asked as they all sat on the couch.

“What do you mean?”

Natsu rolled his head to the side to look at her. She let out an “oh” and looked at him.

“Are you sure you’re ready for that? I mean, you’d be living with us full time, which means that--”

“I’ll get to see my two favorite girls every day? I’m prepared. I just didn’t know if you had any emotional attachment to this place.”

“I mean, not really. We moved in here shortly before (C/N) was born, so we’ve really only been her for about a year. You’d have to ask (C/N) though. She should probably make the final decision.”

Natsu looked down to see that said child was soundly asleep on Natsu’s lap. Natsu leaned his head over the couch and slowly closed his eyes as well. (Y/N) rolled her eyes at the two of them.

\--------------------------------------------------

As the years went by, (C/N) grew up in front of their eyes. They were able to find a house, and they moved in a couple months after he asked them to move with him. (C/N) was still as attached to Natsu as she was when she was younger, and she confided in him for everything. He was there when she had her first day of school, first sporting event, first date, first kiss, first breakup, and eventually, her first engagement. He enjoyed making her fiancé shake in his boots when he asked for his permission to ask (C/N) to marry him. He joked with him until the poor guy finally realized that he was just giving him a hard time.

“Dad! Which type of cake should we use?”

“Hmm, how about all of them?”

(C/N) groaned at Natsu’s carefree attitude and pushed him to decide.

“Why am I deciding?” Natsu laughed. “It’s your wedding.”

“Because I want to pick one that you’ll eat.”

“I think your mom is the picky eater. I’m fine with whatever.”

“Should we do red velvet or chocolate?”

Natsu chuckled when he realized that he would actually be the one to pick. He told her to do the chocolate and declared that she would be making the rest of the decisions on the flowers. 

“You’re gonna walk me down, right?”

“To the florists? I mean I guess.”

(C/N) rolled her eyes and gently smacked him on the arm.

“No, dad. Down the aisle. You know, giving me away?”

Natsu looked at her with wide eyes. She just looked back at him curiously.

“What’s wrong?”

“I just...are you sure you want me to? What about--”

“You’re the closest thing to a dad that there is,” (C/N) giggled. “Of course I would want you to walk me down. You’ve been there all my life.”

Natsu smiled wide and hugged her tight, kissing the top of her head.

“Of course I will.”

\-------------------------------------------------

The day finally came, and (C/N) was freaking out. She snuck around the venue to find her parents, and she found Natsu standing suspiciously next to the dessert table. 

“Dad!”

Natsu jumped and put his hands up, declaring, “I wasn’t eating anything.”

“Dad, come here,” she hissed.

He looked behind him and saw her hiding behind a plant wearing her wedding dress. 

“What are you doing out here, (C/N)? You’re supposed to be--”

“I don’t think I can do this.”

Natsu grabbed a couple of cookies from the table and joined her behind the plant. 

“Are you seriously eating my desserts?” (C/N) asked accusingly.

“Actually, I got one for you, so no complaining!”

She scoffed before looking at him, restating the reason why she came to find him.

“You know, I had the same feeling the day your mom and I got married, but if you really feel like you can’t do it, I have the limo driver on speed dial for an escape.”

“You felt this with mom?”

“For me, it was nerves. I didn’t wanna impose on the family you already were. Your aunt Lucy smacked me on the head and told me I was being ridiculous, and I eventually realized that I wanted you both in my family, so I grabbed my shoes and marched down that aisle. Now if what you’re feeling is dread,” Natsu said seriously, “I would try to listen to what your gut is telling you.”

About an hour later, (C/N) and Natsu stood behind the doors and waited for their cue to walk. He steadied her and felt her shaking. 

“You okay?”

“Nerves. Excitement. More nerves.”

Natsu chuckled and gripped her hand, soothing her. They reached the altar and looked at each other. 

“Hey dad?”

“Yeah?”

“Bababa ba ba.”


	34. Natsu x Reader: Camping

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: So I said this is a modern AU, but the only modern thing is the car, so I guess you could just pretend it was a train or something to keep in in the FT Universe. Anyway, enjoy!

“Come on, (Y/N). It’ll be fun!”

“You said that last time,” (Y/N) muttered. 

“But this time I promise it will be. It’s not like any other camping trip at all. I found this cool spot by the mountains that we can use.”

(Y/N) reluctantly agreed and turned back into the bedroom to start packing. Natsu quickly joined her and started to gather necessary camping supplies from all around the house. 

“You better not forget the sleeping bags this time,” (Y/N) warned.

She heard a nervous laugh from the other room, and a few seconds later he held out the sleeping bags to show her that he had them. 

“Are we going with anyone this time?”

“Nope! It’s just us. I figured it could be like a date camping trip or something.”

(Y/N) smiled wide and continued to pack some snacks and extra blankets. They had finished gathering everything, and after a couple of trips, Natsu was able to pack up the car and wave (Y/N) over. 

“This is gonna be fun. Just you watch.”

\------------------------------------------------------

It was about an hour ride to get to the mountains, and they were almost there. (Y/N) quietly sang along with the radio as she drove while Natsu tried to sleep. The roads were dark, only being lit up by the headlights. There were no streetlights, and it looked like they were far away from any buildings, so their headlights would have to do. She looked at the GPS for the directions, but her eyes widened when she saw that the GPS was having a hard time picking up a signal. (Y/N) pulled over to the side of the road and waited for the GPS to connect again and breathed out in relief when it found their location again. 

“Oh thank god.”

She looked over to her side to see Natsu sleeping peacefully. A smile formed on her face as she watched how all his muscles were relaxed. They had no sign of being tense, and his face was something she could stare at all day. The car hit a dip in the dirt road and jolted. (Y/N) silently cursed when she saw that Natsu was starting to wake up. 

“Sorry hun. I didn’t see it in the dark.”

His voice sounded like a rumble as he quietly eased, “Don’t worry about it. You deserve some company anyway.”

He adjusted his seat back up and sat up straight. After stretching his arms in front of him, he turned to (Y/N) and smiled.

“You excited yet?”

“A little. It’s been a long time since we’ve done something like this.”

Natsu chuckled and reached over to grab the hand that gripped the gear shift. He started to run his thumb over it before adjusting the radio with his other hand. 

“We’re gonna have so much fun.”

(Y/N) giggled, saying that he had been saying that the whole time. Natsu looked out his window and pointed out a couple of deer that were standing in the grass. (Y/N) slowed the car down and watched them raise their heads before they got spooked and hopped away. 

“Hey can we pull over for a sec? I gotta pee.”

(Y/N) sighed and pulled off to the side of the road, turning off the engine and pushing him out of the car. A few minutes later, Natsu returned to the car and sat back in his seat.

“What took you so long?”

“There was a snake and I much prefer to not have it bite me as I piss on a bush.”

She laughed along with him, but her laughter was silenced by the sound of a failed start. They looked at each other before Natsu leaned over to reach the ignition and turned the key. The same sound echoed on the empty street. 

“You have _got_ to be kidding me.”

“Dammit.”

Natsu opened his door and made his way to the front of the car, lifting up the hood.

“Do we have a flashlight or something?”

“I have my phone.”

Natsu held out his hand for it and (Y/N) reached it out the window for him. 

“How much gas do we have?”

“How the hell am I supposed to know that if the car won’t start?” (Y/N) sassed. 

“Well do you remember how much before we pulled over?”

“About a quarter.”

“It’s the battery,” he groaned. “Okay, new plan: we call AAA and get them to give us a jump start and then we’ll be on our way.”

“Hey, uh Natsu? We have a problem.”

Natsu looked up to see (Y/N) walking around the car. He warned her that it was dangerous at night and that she should get back in the car, but she just gave him a blank look and held her phone higher.

“We have no reception.”

The salmon haired man quickly stepped to the passenger side and rummaged through the seat to get his cellphone. He started to try to get a signal, but he had no luck.

“Natsu, we’re on the same plan. If I don’t get reception then you’re not gonna have any luck either.”

They looked at each other and moaned in frustration. 

“I knew that camping was gonna be bad luck.”

“Don’t you worry about a thing, (N/N)! We just need to look at it in a different light.”

(Y/N) raised an eyebrow at him, and Natsu just grinned wide.

“Don’t think of it as being abandoned on the side of the road at night. Think of it as an impromptu camping trip from the comfort of our car!”

She rolled her eyes and got back into the car, closing the door and locking them. Natsu tapped on his window to get her to let him in, but she just looked off to the side. He laughed quietly at her attempt to seem mad at him and he went over to her side of the car, sticking his head in the open window to kiss her cheek.

“Come on love. Let me in.”

She huffed quietly, but Natsu heard the doors unlock. He smiled and hopped in before she could change her mind and took hold of her hand again. 

“This was your idea. And now we’re stuck here.”

“Let’s get this party started! Let’s see…”

Natsu started to search through their bags and pulled out the backpack filled with snacks. He handed (Y/N) the container of Oreos and shifted so he was sitting forward again. (Y/N) was, of course, an avid Oreo lover. And Natsu knew it.

“When did you pack these?”

“When you weren’t looking,” Natsu revealed before he joked, “I brought them as a ‘just in case you get mad at me’ snack.”

“Are you bribing me, Dragneel?”

“Is it working?”

(Y/N) didn’t answer, instead opting to quietly take a cookie and split it apart. She gave Natsu the top of the cookie and she ate the middle. They were a match; (Y/N) liked the middle the best and Natsu preferred the outsides, so they were able to divide the cookies with little problems. (Y/N) hummed in content, but she squeaked when she heard a rumble from the woods.

“Okay, me having my window open is not going to help me tonight.”

“I’m right here to battle any monsters that come your way,” Natsu joked. “It’s just like camping in a tent.”

“No it’s completely different. In a tent, we zip it up all the way so nothing can get in. This window is going to be open all night and anything can get in here while we sleep.”

Natsu continued to rub his thumb over her hand as a gesture of comfort. She jumped when she heard the rumble in the woods again, and she gripped his hand tightly. 

“Do you want me to check?”

She all too quickly nodded her head and unlocked the door for him to get out. He sighed and stood up straight, laughing when he heard the doors immediately lock again. She heard him come back and he tapped in the window for her to let him in. He quickly got in, slammed his door shut and told her to lock the doors. 

“What? What is it?”

Natsu kept looking out the window and ignored her. 

“Natsu,” she hissed, “what is it?”

“You can’t freak out,” he warned.

“You’re scaring me.”

“Okay, so there _might_ be a bear.”

“A fucking bear?!” She shouted before Natsu placed his hand over her mouth.

“You can’t shout, love.”

“Natsu, I don’t like this anymore.”

He gave her a reassuring smile and motioned for her to climb into the backseat, saying that the windows back there were closed. 

“Are you coming back too?” She asked hopefully.

Natsu laughed a bit and folded his legs so he could crawl back with her. (Y/N) immediately sat flush up against him and grabbed his shirt for protection. He leaned towards the front to grab the Oreos and tried to distract her with them. She tensed when she heard the rumble come closer and gasped when she saw the outline of the bear in the clearing of the woods.

“Natsu, what if we--”

“Shh,” he comforted, squeezing her shoulders, “the bear isn’t gonna hurt us. We’re safe in here.”

“That’s what you say now,” she muttered. 

The bear had made its way to the road, and it stood on its back legs. (Y/N) let out a scared “holy shit” before she buried her face in Natsu’s chest to try to block out what was happening. The bear got back down on four legs and started to walk by. Natsu held onto his wife tightly as he tried to calm her down. The bear walked past the car, and Natsu tilted his head to the side to look through the back windshield. Once the bear was gone, Natsu told (Y/N) that it was safe again. 

“We are never doing this again.”

“Aw, but camping is fun!”

“Natsu, I am _never_ doing this again.”

He kissed the top of her head and continued to cradle her, his arms wrapped around her tightly. She peeked over his shoulder to see the bear casually walking down the road. She let out a breath of relief and leaned to the front seat, reaching over and trying to start the car again. It made a stalling sound, which made the woman scoff and sit back down. Natsu looked on with an amused expression,

“I don’t think that--”

“I don’t care! It was worth the try.”

She grumbled and took out her phone and tossed it to the side when she saw that it still had no signal. 

“Wanna play a game?”

“Natsu, we are stuck in a car on the side of a dark, empty road. What game could you possibly--”

“We can play twenty questions?”

“Fine. You go first. But I think this is kinda pointless since we know a lot about each other already.”

“Oh! Why don’t we ask it about each other? So like, I ask you what my favorite color is, and we have to see who gets the most answers right.”

“So like a relationship test?”

Natsu shrugged and agreed with an “I guess” before asking her if she wanted to play.

“Fine, but I go first. What is my favorite music artist?”

“(Favorite artist/band name). What is my favorite holiday?”

“Thanksgiving because you always eat the entire goddamn turkey.”

Natsu laughed loudly and nodded before telling her to ask her next question.

She thought for a second and decided, “What was my childhood fear?”

“(Fear). If I was something in nature, what would I be?”

“A fire.”

“Are you saying that I’m annoying and inconvenient?” Natsu joked as he feigned offense.

“Yes,” she stated deadpan, but he had known her long enough to see that she was also clearly joking. 

They went on like that for over an hour, very clearly going way over the twenty question limit. (Y/N)’s eyes started to close, but she fought with herself to stay awake. Natsu had caught on, so he leaned over to the bags to get a blanket out for her without moving too much. He wrapped the blanket around her to form a small cocoon. (Y/N)’s hands wrapped around his torso as she snuggled closer to him. He felt her breathing slow to a steady and relaxed pace.

“Goodnight love.”

He heard a small mumble in response. 

\--------------------------------------------------

(Y/N) opened her eyes to find the sun coming out. She looked to the side to see that Natsu had fallen asleep right beside her, and she giggled when she heard his soft snoring. After untangling herself from him, she leaned over to the front again and checked to see if it would start. It, unsurprisingly, didn’t start. (Y/N) heard laughter from her side, and she glared at her husband before sitting back down next to him. 

“Did you sleep alright?”

(Y/N) nodded and yawned. She stepped out of the car and stretched her legs.

“I think this is the first time you didn’t take over the entire bed and steal the blankets,” Natsu joked. 

She rolled her eyes but still smiled. Their ears perked up when they heard a car from a distance. Natsu immediately jumped out and stood by her side. The car stopped near them and the driver asked if they needed help. Natsu asked if he could use his phone, and he was able to reach the car service company. About an hour later, AAA had come and helped tow their car back home. (Y/N) had excitedly jumped in the tow truck and gave a hug to the driver. The driver laughed at her enthusiasm and greeted them both. 

When they got home, (Y/N) ran inside. Natsu followed soon after, dropping all their stuff they packed on the floor by the couch. 

“Hey Natsu?”

Said husband looked up to see (Y/N) crossing her arms. 

“Never. Again.”

Natsu just laughed and stepped to her, engulfing her in a big hug. He rocked them slowly and kissed her forehead before giving her a childlike grin. 

“I bet the next camping trip will be more fun!”


	35. Natsu x Dead!Reader: I'll Always Protect You

After the many instances of Natsu and Happy breaking into her apartment, Lucy decided to get back at them. She had snuck her way over to their house and peeked inside. When she saw that the house was empty, she slipped inside and laughed mischievously. 

“Now they’ll learn not to do it to me. What should I do first?”

Lucy looked around and saw that their place was a mess. Clothes were scattered on the floor, the bed was unmade, and leftover food was sitting on the kitchen counter.

“This is gross. How do they live like this?”

Something caught her eye, and she drifted over to the pictures that hung on his wall. There were pictures of the guild, of him and Happy, of Team Natsu, and of him and Lisanna when they were young. One picture in particular struck her curiosity, and she leaned in closer to see it more clearly. Natsu was young in the picture, and he didn’t have his guild mark. Happy wasn’t with him either.

“Was this from before he joined Fairy Tail?”

She looked closer, studying the picture. Her eyes landed on the person that drew her to the picture in the first place. A young girl with (hair length) (H/C) hair and (E/C) eyes was standing next to Natsu and smiling. She looked closer, and she gasped when she saw the outline of what looked to be a dragon.

“Is that...Igneel? Then who is she?”

She continued to stare at the picture, and she was so deep in thought that she didn’t hear the front door open.

“Lucy?” Natsu questioned. “I didn’t realize that you were coming over. I would've waited for you at the guild.”

“Oh, uh, I was just stopping by! Your door was open and…”

Natsu peeked around her shoulder to see what she was looking at. He grinned when he saw she was looking at his picture wall.

“Pretty cool, right?” Natsu happily asked. “I started doing that about a year ago so that I can look at all my memories when I eat!”

Lucy looked over to him and saw his wide smile. Her focus revisited the picture of the dragon and the unknown girl. 

“Hey Natsu?”

“Hm?”

Lucy looked over and sweatdropped when she saw that he had a fish stuffed in his mouth. She rolled her eyes and pointed to the picture.

“Who’s this?”

Natsu shuffled back over from the fridge and stood next to the celestial wizard. His smile reappeared.

“That’s Igneel. He’s pretty cool, huh? He was a lot bigger than the picture shows, but I guess that might’ve been because I was a lot smaller then.”

He started to laugh and make his way back over to the fridge.

“No Natsu. Who’s the girl?”

The dragon slayer stopped moving. He stood in the middle of the living room in complete silence, and Lucy could see that his knuckles were turning white from the fists he was making. They both remained quiet, Natsu deep in thought and Lucy silently cursing herself for bringing up a topic that had obviously seemed too touchy. 

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have--”

Natsu was at Lucy’s side again, and his fingers gently touched the picture. A sad smile graced his face. 

“Her name was (Y/N).”

“Were you two close?”

Natsu threw his head back in laughter.

“I guess you could say that. Igneel raised us both. She was a fire dragon slayer too. We were both taught by Igneel.”

Silence engulfed the room again. Lucy looked at the picture before cautiously looking back over to the pink haired mage. 

“A couple months before Igneel disappeared, we were attacked by another dragon. It was just me and (Y/N) because Igneel went to get something, and we were still really young, so we couldn’t really fight back.”

“Natsu, you don’t have to--”

“We tried our best to fight him off, but we couldn’t do it on our own. The dragon picked her up and tossed her aside when she tried to fight back. He ended up using his talons, and Igneel didn’t make it back in time.”

He looked at the picture with defeated eyes for a minute before the corner of his mouth lifted up again. Happy landed on his head and patted his hair.

“Natsu told me all about (Y/N). She was really funny and strong!”

Lucy pried her eyes off the picture and looked at the two. She had a smile of her own. 

“She sounds like a wonderful person. Thank you for telling me.”

Natsu nodded his head and entered the kitchen again, tossing a fish at Lucy.

“Hey! I don’t want your fish. Give it to Happy!”

“Really?! You’ll let me have your fish?” Happy excitedly screamed. 

Lucy rolled her eyes and handed him the fish before saying that she should start back to her apartment to get ready for the request that they were going to take the next day. Happy and Natsu waved her off before they shut the front door. After eating, Happy fell asleep on the couch, his occasional snores echoing in the house. Natsu walked back up to the picture and smiled fondly.

_“Hey Natsu, I bet I’m gonna be the strongest fire dragon slayer ever! Just you watch!”_

_“No way, because I’m gonna be the strongest!”_

_“You both won’t get strong until you learn how to read, children.”_

_Natsu and (Y/N) both pouted before sitting back down by their books._

\---------------------------------------------------

_“(Y/N), look at this cool worm I found!”_

_“No way! I don’t wanna look at that thing!”_

_Natsu went to tease her for being scared of gross things when she cut him off._

_“Especially because I got a much cooler worm,” she said as she dangled a worm twice the other worm’s size. “Bet you can’t beat that!”_

\------------------------------------------------------

_“There’s something I wanna tell you, but you can’t make fun of me.”_

_The (H/C) girl looked up from the flower patch she was playing with and turned her gaze over to her pink haired friend and smiled at him._

_“Natsu, I would never make fun of you.”_

_Natsu looked off to the side, his cheeks heating up._

_“I’m gonna protect you always. Because I’m your big brother!”_

_(Y/N) smiled wide and giggled before giving him a flower._

_“And I’ll make sure to protect you. Because I’m your little sister!”_

_A red dragon landed by them, taking out a couple of the baby trees._

_“Dad!” (Y/N) whined. “I worked so hard to plant those!”_

_Igneel laughed and promised that he would train her twice that day, and all was forgiven._

\------------------------------------------------------

_“Natsu, do you ever wonder about humans?”_

_“Whaddya mean, (N/N)?”_

_“We’re always away from other humans, and we can fight like a dragon. Does that make us dragons or humans?”_

_“We’re both! Which means we’re the strongest!”_

_“I don’t think Dad would appreciate you saying that to him.”_

_Natsu grinned and gave her a flower before tugging her back to Igneel to train._

\----------------------------------------------------------

_“Natsu, fight me!”_

_The dragon slayer looked up from his food to see (Y/N) standing there with a fire in her eyes. He immediately tossed aside his food and stood up, punching the air. They charged at each other, and they both let out the Roars. Their fire streams clashed and whipped around them. (Y/N) went after him with her Talon and Natsu countered with his Iron Fist. They clashed again and were pushed away from each other by the force. After a few minutes, (Y/N) had pinned Natsu to the ground and sat on his back while holding his hands behind him._

_“Looks like I won! See Dad? I’m way stronger than Natsu!”_

_“That’s so not fair! I wasn’t ready yet.”_

_“Yes you were, you sore loser. You even said ‘I’m ready’ before you came at me.”_

_Natsu huffed and looked off to the side with his cheeks puffed. (Y/N) climbed on top of Igneel and cheered._

_“I’m all fired up now!”_

_“That catchphrase is stupid,” Natsu muttered. “Nobody even says that.”_

_“That’s because they’re not fire dragon slayers. It’s a cool saying and you know it!”_

\---------------------------------------------------------

_“Natsu,” (Y/N) whimpered, “what do we do? Dad isn’t back yet.”_

_“Don’t worry, sissy. I can fight him off.”_

_“But Natsu,” came her quiet voice, “that dragon looks really mean. He’s not like Dad.”_

_The dragon turned his attention back to the two dragon slayers and charged at them. He picked (Y/N) up and flung her against a boulder. Natsu tried to distract the dragon, but he was quickly brushed aside by the dragon’s wings._

_“(Y/N)!”_

_The dragon pierced her stomach, killing her instantly. He flew away seconds later when he caught sight of Igneel returning._

_“Dad! (Y/N) needs help. You gotta help her!” Natsu screamed, completely distraught._

_Igneel took one look at the girl and turned Natsu away. He demanded that the child get on his back, and Natsu did so while he sobbed._

\-----------------------------------------------------

Natsu left the house a little while later, and he made his way to a place far outside Magnolia. The dragon slayer stood in front of a small dirt pile in the middle of a flower patch, his tight fists at his sides. 

“Don’t worry, (Y/N). I’m your big brother, so I’ll always protect you.”


	36. Natsu x Reader: Monopoly

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: So I figured that I would do more of a 'happier' one shot to balance out the one before. Catch me taking an hour researching the rules of Monopoly because everyone banned me from playing it and I forgot how the game worked. Nobody lets me play anymore for emotional torture related reasons. Anyway, enjoy!

“Hah! Suck it, Dragneel.”

“I hate this stupid game.”

“Natsu,” Happy cheered, “Look, I won! All my money was gone first!”

(Y/N) and Natsu looked over at the smiling exceed before explaining the rules of the game again. Happy whined and jumped on Natsu’s head. 

“That’s not fair.”

“(Y/N) doesn’t play fair,” Natsu sassily remarked. “She _insists_ on putting hotels on every property.”

“It’s not my fault you always land on the Boardwalk,” (Y/N) snickered. 

“You have to be cheating. There’s no way you can get the Boardwalk every single time.”

“Don’t say that (Y/N) cheats! That’s mean.”

“She does!”

(Y/N) gave a smug smile towards the dragon slayer and taunted him by counting her money. He rolled his eyes and tossed his single dollar at her. She laughed maniacally and added it to her pile. 

“Why thank you,” she teased. “You shouldn’t have.”

“Can we play again?” Happy asked hopefully. “This time I’m sure I’ll win.”

“Of course we--”

“We’re not playing again. It’s been five hours.”

“Oh come on, Natsu. This game will be a quick one.”

“(Y/N), you said that last time.”

She pouted and turned back to her money before starting to clean up. Natsu and Happy gathered the money in a big pile and started to put it back in the box.

“What are you, animals? Sort it out first.”

Natsu smirked and threw the money at her before pouncing on her. She squealed in surprise before she started to laugh. Natsu started ticking her by her armpits, making her squeak, begging him to stop. He gave a mischievous smile.

“No,” (Y/N) laughed, “I give in! Stop!”

He cackled and continued to tickle her. He moved so his knees were on either side of her and trapped her as she squirmed. 

“Natsu Dragneel, stop this instant,” (Y/N) tried to scold sternly, but she couldn’t stop laughing. 

Natsu moved his fingers to her stomach, making her laugh even harder. 

The both screamed at the same time, “Happy!”

The exceed flew next to the ground beside the two and looked between them. Natsu gave Happy the thumbs up, making (Y/N) gasp. The blue exceed smiled. 

“Sorry (Y/N), but I’ve been waiting to do this.”

Happy moved his paws so he was tickling (Y/N)’s side. 

“Both of you knock it off!”

A knock was heard on the door, and they all stopped moving for a second. Natsu reluctantly got off (Y/N) and went to answer the door. He pointed at her with a devilish smirk. 

“I’m not done with you yet.”

(Y/N) laid on the floor and tried to catch her breath. Natsu opened the door and started talking to whoever was there, and eventually invited them in. 

“(Y/N), it’s a surprise seeing you here,” Lucy joked. 

She laughed lightly and had the energy to sit up again. Natsu walked over to (Y/N) and helped pull her up.

“What were you two up to?” Lucy asked cautiously. 

“We were tickling (Y/N),” Happy chirped. 

Lucy looked towards the game board and saw money sprawled all over the place. She turned to (Y/N) and laughed. 

“Beat them again?”

(Y/N) grinned and started laughing. 

“Of course I did. They’re bad at games.”

Natsu grumbled and crossed his arms, looking off to the side. 

“Someone’s a sore loser.”

(Y/N) shook her head and quietly stepped so that she was standing behind the dragon slayer. She wrapped her arms around his back and rested her head between his shoulder blades. 

“I’m not a sore loser. You’re a sore winner.”

She giggled and turned her head to Lucy.

“So what’s up, Lu?”

“Well I was coming over to invite you to a game night at my place, but…”

“You can always stay here and we can set up another one,” (Y/N) cheerfully suggested. 

Both girls laughed when Natsu huffed. 

\------------------------------------------------

Happy was crying on Natsu’s head about two hours later because he was, once again, the first player to go broke. The other three had determined looks on their faces as they all sat on the floor. Natsu’s face dropped when he landed on the Boardwalk yet again. With three hotels. 

“Fuck you,” he muttered before handing over his money. 

(Y/N) just laughed maniacally before tucking the money into her piles. Lucy landed on Florida Avenue and gasped when she saw a skyscraper. 

“When did you even do that?!”

The (H/C) girl smirked devilishly and held out her hand to collect the $2500 from the celestial wizard. 

“I told you,” Natsu reminded her. “She plays dirty.”

“Damn (N/N), you’re hardcore.”

Natsu later landed on the electric utility, which was, of course, owned by (Y/N). 

“Ten times the dice, honey. I own both.”

He rolled and cursed before handing over $100. Lucy landed on Mediterranean Avenue and let out a breath of relief as she handed over the two dollars to (Y/N). 

“Thank god.”

(Y/N) landed on the Pennsylvania Railroad and groaned, knowing that Natsu owned three of them. 

“Finally! Hand it over, (N/N).”

She looked at the smug look on Natsu’s face and rolled her eyes. She smirked back at him when he landed Marvin Gardens with three houses. Natsu silently rolled onto his back and laid there looking up at the ceiling with a blank look on his face. 

“Uh, Natsu?” Lucy tested.

“I can’t believe I let you talk me into playing this game again.”

“Come on, Natsu,” (Y/N) started sweetly. “You know this is all for fun.”

Natsu grunted as he sat up again and handed over the $850. 

“Natsu,” Happy whined, “you have to beat her for my honor.”

Everyone laughed, but it died down when Lucy landed on Illinois Avenue with three houses.

“I can’t believe this,” she muttered. “How in the hell are you doing this?”

“The trick is to buy every property you land on, and then watch as your opponents are emotionally torn to pieces.”

“Uh, Natsu is she always--”

“Every. Single. Time.”

“I literally only have five dollars left.”

(Y/N) gave a wicked laugh and rolled her turn, pouting when she was sent to jail. 

“Oh please,” Natsu scolded, “I think you can very well afford the fifty dollars to get out.”

Natsu landed on North Carolina Avenue with three houses. He glared at (Y/N), letting out a quiet “fuck off” and handing her the $900. Lucy cried when she landed on Baltic Avenue, handing over four of her last five dollars. She muttered under her breath before surrendering. 

“Looks like it’s down to just you and me,” (Y/N) sadistically stated. 

“Great,” he sarcastically replied, “because we know how much fun that is. I have a thousand left, and we all know I’m gonna land somewhere stupid—”

He looked down at the dice he threw and carefully took the “chance” card. He screamed at the writing on it: “Advance to Boardwalk.”

Natsu threw his money at her once again, muttering curses. (Y/N) laughed lightly at his childish behavior before leaning across the board and giving him a quick peck on his cheek. 

“Maybe next time,” she soothed. 

“I am never, _ever_ playing this stupid game with you. I swear you turn into a sadistic and emotionally vicious person when we play.”

“But it’s all in fun!”

Lucy groaned before agreeing with Natsu, noting how sweet she was any other time. 

“Oh come on guys,” she joked, “you’re just mad because you lost horribly.”

Lucy, Natsu and Happy all glared playfully at (Y/N). Lucy had eventually left, leaving Natsu, (Y/N) and a sleeping Happy. 

“Tonight was fun,” (Y/N) whispered.

“Yeah, _for you_.”


	37. Night Sift!NatsuxMorning Shift!Reader (Modern AU)

Natsu’s job was...boring. He hadn’t moved from his desk in over four hours, mostly because the hotel’s owner kept coming in and giving him a scolding look every time he dared to leave his chair. The night shift as a hotel desk clerk was a job far from ideal, but Natsu did what he had to do to pay rent. He looked up at the clock and groaned when he saw it was only 11:30 (23:30). 

“Dammit. I thought it would be at least one.”

A long sigh left his lips as he leaned back in his wheely chair. The chair was his biggest source of fun, as he would spin in circles and roll from one end of the long check-in desk to the other. Anytime his manager came peaking around the corner, Natsu would stop suddenly and busy himself with the nearest piece of paper until he went away. 

“Natsu,” his manager called out from the other room, “don’t make me take that chair away from you. I can hear the rolling.”

The pink haired clerk gave a nervous laugh and gave a quick “sorry” before scooting his chair back to its proper spot behind the desk. His eyes scanned the desk for another outlet, and he laughed to himself when he saw an empty notebook. He quickly ripped out a page and started folding it. After a lot of annoyance and frustration, Natsu was able to make a small dog out of the paper. He smiled victoriously and placed it on the desk. His eyes drifted over to the colorful pens that sat in their little pen cup at the front of the desk. They were there to have the guests sign in, but Natsu reasoned that they surely wouldn’t miss them. 

\-----------------------------------------------------------

(Y/N)’s job was...boring. Working the morning shift as a hotel desk clerk was the last thing she wanted to do, but she needed to put herself through college until she could graduate to get a better job. She gently opened the front door, the bell above it ringing. She waved her usual greetings to the manager and other day staff before running into the owner. The owner gave a small “hello” before disappearing into his office. (Y/N) looked around and huffed when she saw the usual mess on the clerk desk. Paper animals were scattered all over the place, and the guest pens had no caps. As per usual, the caps laid on the opposite end of the desk, signalling that the night shift clerk had thrown them to the side...again. 

“This is ridiculous. Every goddamn morning it’s the same mess.”

She quickly slipped her jacket off and placed it on the back of the chair before gathering all the paper animals and tossing them into the recycling bin. After checking the pens, (Y/N) thanked the fact that at least the pens weren’t dried out this time. The amount of pens that needed to be ordered on a regular basis was astronomical. It was way too much. 

“Hey Ronnie, did the night manager leave you a huge mess?” (Y/N) asked her manager.

“Nope. Did your guy?”

“Of course. It wouldn’t be a morning shift without this nuisance.” 

The rest of the shift went by slowly, but (Y/N) had gotten used to it and placed her attention into her many daydreams. The bell would occasionally ring, signalling a new guest. (Y/N) would straighten herself in her chair before giving the same scripted speech about available rooms and rates. She looked at the clock and silently cheered when she saw that she had ten minutes left. An idea came to mind, and she got out a yellow sticky note before writing a message for the night clerk.

\--------------------------------------------------------------

Natsu trudged inside the hotel lobby and sighed, preparing himself for yet another long and boring night. He gave a silent nod to the manager as he was walking out and pointed playfully at the night manager. 

“Yo Alex, ready to fuck shit up?”

“Absolutely not. You better not cause trouble, Natsu. I’m not getting fired for your antics.”

Natsu grinned wide and made his way over to the desk, dropping his bag on the floor and tossing his coat over it. He looked around and smiled proudly when he saw that the desk was, as usual, cleaned up and left in a perfect manner. There was one difference. Right on the middle of the desk calendar was a yellow sticky note. 

_Dear night clerk,  
I would really appreciate it if you would stop leaving the desk an absolute mess. The last thing I want to do in the morning is clean up your attempts at origami and pen cap toss competition. If you make a mess, clean it up.  
Thanks,  
(Y/N)_

Natsu chuckled to himself and leaned back in his chair. 

“Oops. Guess I got on her bad side.”

He tapped a pen on the desk as he looked up at the clock, cursing when it was only midnight. His leg was restlessly bouncing as he tried to keep himself distracted. He looked over to the notebook and smiled mischievously. 

“Well, she wouldn’t mind a gift, would she?”

After many failed attempts yet again, Natsu had successfully produced a paper cat. He placed it right on the middle of the desk calendar and wrote his own note.

\----------------------------------------------------------

(Y/N) walked in and placed her coffee on the desk before taking her seat. She took one look at the desk and let out a frustrated growl. She saw a green sticky note left on the calendar and raised an eyebrow. 

_Dear day clerk,  
Now what fun would it be if I just sat here all night? It gets pretty boring after midnight, just as I’m sure it gets boring during the morning before check-out. Now I unfortunately didn’t use the pens tonight, but I did leave you a little present. Enjoy your litter of kittens.  
Natsu_

Her eyes darted over to the side of the desk where about a dozen paper cats sat. Each one was messed up except for the one that stood in the front of the group. They all had little faces drawn on them. She scoffed and tossed the paper into the recycling before looking over to the pad of sticky notes. She angrily lifted one up and scribbled on it before slamming it onto the calendar. She glared at the recycling bin until her shift ended, and she quickly left.

“I need a piece of cake or something. I don’t get paid enough to deal with him.”

\------------------------------------------------------------

_Natsu,  
I don’t want your “presents,” and I would be ever so thankful if you stuck to doing your job instead of making mine harder. On top of the trouble you’re causing me, you’re wasting paper. I don’t want to have to look at a half-full recycling bin every morning because you don’t know how to spend your time professionally.  
**Thanks** ,  
(Y/N)_

\------------------------------------------------------------

_(Y/N),  
I’m a little hurt that you don’t appreciate my presents. You should know that I worked really hard on them. It’s not a waste of paper as long as they go to good use, and I think you’re the one who keeps throwing them away. So I guess it’s you who’s wasting paper.  
Natsu_

“Oh my fucking god. He’s ridiculous.” 

\--------------------------------------------------------------

_Natsu,  
I hope you know that you’re the reason my manager and I have to go around and clean everything up. Maybe you should use your time tidying up around the lobby so that way you’re busy instead of sitting at the desk and messing around.  
**Best** ,  
(Y/N)_

Natsu laughed to himself and looked around before sneaking into the kitchen undetected.

\-----------------------------------------------------------------

(Y/N) looked around and once again saw paper folded into an animal and groaned. She took her usual spot in the chair and went to write another passive-aggressive note when she caught sight of the sticky note on top of a small box.

_(Y/N),  
Since I know I can be a pain in the ass, I decided to take in upon myself to offer you a treaty. Hope you like donuts.  
Natsu  
P.S. Don’t tell the owner, but I snuck into the kitchen to snatch them._

She opened the box to see a couple of donuts and smiled.

“Peace offering, eh? I think I can deal with that.”

Just before her shift ended, she grabbed a blue sticky note and quickly wrote something down.

\-----------------------------------------------------------------

Natsu stretched once he reached the desk and took in a deep breath before taking his seat. His eyes spotted a blue note and he grinned. 

“Blue? My offering musta worked to not be yellow anymore.”

_Natsu,  
Thank you for the donuts, though I don’t approve of how you got in possession of them. You seem like a pretty chill guy. Maybe a bit too chill, but nonetheless. Now please leave the desk clean.  
Thank you again,  
(Y/N)_

“Hmm,” the pink haired clerk mumbled. “Now I could leave her alone, but that wouldn’t be any fun.”

\--------------------------------------------------------------------

(Y/N) quickly made her way to the desk in search of the reply, and she gasped when she saw paper everywhere. 

_(Y/N),  
No one could ever be too chill, and to show you, I covered the whole calendar with paper cranes. Be careful with them. I spent all night making them just for you.  
Natsu_

“That cocky son of a--”

“Did that guy seriously make all of those in one shift? The guy’s got skill, (Y/N). You gotta admit.”

“Shut it, Ronnie.”

\--------------------------------------------------------------------

When Natsu came in, he searched for the usual note, guessing that it would be another angry one. He chuckled to himself at the very thought. His shifts had gotten exponentially more enjoyable with this ongoing fiasco. His lips turned into a small frown when he couldn’t find a note. 

“Too far?”

The bell rang around midnight, and Natsu looked up at the unexpected guest. A woman with (H/C) hair and (E/C) eyes stood at the desk.

“Can I help you?”

“No.”

“Uhh...okay? Then why are you here? You know this is a hote--”

“Are you Natsu?”

“Uh, yeah.”

“Interesting.”

With that, the woman left just as quickly as she came. Natsu blinked a couple times, staring at the lobby door. 

“Hey Alex, a woman just came in here, right? I’m not hallucinating?”

“Nah she definitely came in.”

Natsu knitted his eyebrows together and mumbled, “What the hell?”

\------------------------------------------------------------

(Y/N) took in a deep breath before opening the lobby door, taking in the cool morning air. She walked over to her desk, her eyes twitching when she saw shredded paper and drawings all over the place. 

_(Y/N),_  
I missed your note last night. You said I couldn’t fold any more paper or throw pens, so I respect it enough to stay away from that. You didn’t, however, say I should refrain from ripping paper and doodling, so I did just that. Gotta stay busy somehow, right?  
Natsu 

“Fuck you.”

She ripped up the note and tossed it in the recycling bin along with the rest of the night clerk’s mess. After staring at the calendar for about an hour, (Y/N) shook her head and grabbed a pen.

“I can’t believe I’m about to do this, but fuck it.”

\------------------------------------------------------------

The same old day called for the same old shift. Natsu stepped into the lobby and tossed his stuff behind the desk before sneaking into the kitchen and grabbing a snack. He greeted his manager and waved goodbye to the owner. He plopped down on the chair and started twisting when he caught sight of another blue note. His lips turned upward, and he scooted closer to the desk to read it. There were no words, just eleven numbers. The night clerk looked at the note for a minute before a wide grin appeared on his face. 

\---------------------------------------------------------------

“Where is he?” (Y/N) hissed as she stood outside the hotel. “It’s freezing and the doors are locked.”

The bell jingled and the familiar pink hair came into view. Natsu seemed to look around before his eyes landed on the (H/C) girl. His eyes widened upon recognition. 

“You’re that woman!”

“Yeah and you’re that jerk that keeps messing up my desk every goddamn night.”

“Actually,” Natsu cockily corrected, “I think you mean _our_ desk.”

“Shut up and let’s go.”

Natsu laughed and followed her down the street to a late night cafe. They ordered coffee and some donuts, chatting with each other. They had a pretty enjoyable time, mostly sharing horror stories of people that had come in during their shifts. They found out that they shared quite a few interests, and they seemed like they would get along really well. Around six, (Y/N) looked at her watch and sighed. 

“I have to go, but I guess I’ll see you around.”

“We should do this again sometime.”

They both smiled before (Y/N) looked at him seriously.

“If you messed up the desk again I’m gonna kill you.”

Natsu just looked at her smugly before silently sipping his coffee.


	38. Natsu x Dead!Reader (Part 2): I'll Always Protect You

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SPOILERS: TARTAROS ARC

**SPOILERS: TARTAROS ARC**

It was Tartaros. It had to be Keyes. There was no other explanation as to why she was standing in front of him right now. 

His voice was hesitant as he spoke, forcing out, “(Y/N), is that really you?”

He heard Lucy shout at him from a distance, but he couldn’t make it out. All he could do was watch the girl he had known as his little sister as she stood facing him. Lucy had recognized the girl from Natsu’s pictures and remembered Gray’s situation with his dad. She cursed and tried to catch up to them before anything bad could happen.

“You’re so...big now.”

“That’s what happens when you grow up, Natsu.”

“But you…didn’t grow up. You couldn’t.”

“Natsu! Don’t get too close to her!”

“What’re you doing here, (N/N)?”

“I belong here now. I’ve been given life again.”

Gajeel had made it to the pair before Lucy, and he brought his Iron Club down in front of the (H/C) girl, creating a small crater and forcing her to jump back. (Y/N) looked shocked that someone would interfere, her eyes narrowing into slits and a deep scowl on her face.

“Do you mind, bolts?” She snapped. “I’m trying to talk to my brother in peace.”

“He ain’t your brother, brat. Get lost.”

Natsu’s eyes never left her figure. He was met with her comforting smile when she caught his gaze.

“I missed you, Natsu. It’s been so lonely here. I miss you and Dad.”

“Get away from her, Salamander.”

(Y/N) tried to inch closer, but Gajeel stood in the way. She glared at him once again as she tried to step around him. Lucy had finally caught up to the small forming group and placed her hand on one of Natsu’s shoulders. Tears started to leak from (Y/N)’s eyes as she started to realize the situation. She would never be able to be by her brother’s side again. They would never play in the flower patch or go for rides on the father’s back. Never again would they have eating contests or tell stories to one another. There was one thing they could do though.

“Natsu, you need to kill me.”

“What?” Natsu asked, completely shocked. “Why would I do that?”

“Because if you don’t, then Tartaros will manipulate me into harming you and your friends. Please don’t make me do that.”

“(Y/N), I can’t--”

“Fight me, Natsu. And don’t hold back this time.”

Natsu shook his head and took a step back, refusing to fight her. (Y/N) kept pushing him to attack her, but he wouldn’t budge. Gajeel stepped forward, cracking his knuckles and preparing to attack. (Y/N) caught his movement and turned her attention to the black haired wizard. 

“Will you fight me in his place then, bolts?”

“I ain’t holding back.”

(Y/N) prepared herself as Gajeel aimed his Roar at her. She smirked and countered with her own Roar, causing the two elements to clash and dart off to the sides. Gajeel looked at her with wide eyes, just realizing her abilities had matched Natsu’s. 

“You’re a dragon slayer too? How?”

“Igneel raised me alongside Natsu, and we were both taught fire dragon slaying magic. I’m glad to see that I haven’t completely lost touch of my ability to fight.”

The iron dragon slayer studied (Y/N) carefully before going to use his Sword. Everyone gasped when Natsu darted out in front of (Y/N) and blocked Gajeel’s attack. His arm started to melt from the fire magic that Natsu was using, causing the iron dragon slayer to jump back.

“What the hell is your problem, Sala--”

“Don’t touch her!”

“Natsu,” Lucy tried to remind, “that’s not the same girl you grew up with. This is Tartaros messing with your mind.”

“It’s still her,” he insisted. “That Keyes guy raised her from the dead, but it’s still her. And I promised that I would protect her no matter what.”

(Y/N) smiled sadly before standing behind him and wrapping her arms around his back, resting her forehead on the part by his shoulder blades.

“It’s okay, big brother. I want you to defeat Keyes and all of Tartaros. But it needs to start with me. I’m the one standing in your path right now.”

“No.”

She sighed and gave a quick ‘then you leave me no choice’ before turning him around to face her. She mouthed a ‘sorry’ before her hand formed a fist and she slammed it into his stomach. He went flying back and crashed into a pile of rubble across the area. Lucy gasped and went to go help him up.

“Alright listen here you little brat,” Gajeel started, “you’re gonna have some serious hell to pay if you go around beating our guildmates.”

“Don’t...touch her.”

“Natsu, you can’t be serious,” Lucy breathed. “You can’t let her--”

“That’s my sister! How else would you want me to react?” Natsu shouted. 

Before anyone could process what was happening, (Y/N) darted past Gajeel and kicked Natsu in the side just as he was standing up again. 

“Natsu, fight me.”

Gajeel called for Juvia as she continued to fight Keyes and urged her to end it as soon as possible. (Y/N) crossed her arms and stared down at Natsu. She raised her eyebrow as he continued to pick himself up.

“Why aren’t you fighting me? You always used to.”

“That was before I lost you. I don’t ever wanna--”

“Either way I’m going to die. You either defeat me now, or your friend will defeat Keyes and the spell will finally be undone. I was never able to rest peacefully. That monster dug up my body and made me do his dirty work for years. I’m not alive, and I never will be again, so please let me rest peacefully.”

Natsu was on his feet again, and he looked at her with a fire in his eyes. 

“(Y/N)...fight me!”

She smiled, realizing that he was finally understanding the situation. She got in her stance and waited for his attack. Their Roars hit each other, flames whipping around the whole area. (Y/N) slipped under the fire and used her Talon. Natsu countered by using his Iron Fist, his hands coming into rough contact with (Y/N)’s side. They both stood apart from each other, wide smiles on their faces. Both of them had tears streaking down their cheeks, but it seemed to go unnoticed by the other wizards. 

“Show me your best move, Natsu. I want to see what you’ve learned since I died.”

Natsu took in a deep breath and cast his Brilliant Flame Blade spell, engulfing the entire space in flames. (Y/N) jumped back in time to dodge, but her whole body pulsed. She could feel it. Lucy looked over to see that Juvia had defeated Keyes. (Y/N) looked over and caught sight of the same thing. She ran over to Natsu, pulling him in for a tight hug. She buried her head into his jacket and squeezed him tight. Natsu mirrored her actions. Lucy and Gajeel could see that he was shaking violently. (Y/N) tilted her head up and smiled one last time.

“I love you, big brother.”

Natsu held her tighter.

“I’m...all f-fired up now.”

(Y/N) laughed at her own catchphrase and joked, “I thought you said that was a stupid saying?”

“I changed my...mind.”

He felt her weakening grip on him. 

“Thank you, Natsu.”

And with that, she was finally able to rest peacefully.


	39. malentendu (high school AU) [requested]

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Hey y'all, here's a request one shot. Also sorry if there's any mistakes in the languages, I was going off my high school experience and also Google.

It was no surprise. Afterall, to say that (Y/N) was gorgeous would be an understatement. She had caught Natsu's (and most of the boys in the school's) attention right away. There was one problem.

"How am I supposed to talk to her if I can't speak her language?" Natsu shouted at the lunch table.

Gray shrugged and brushed it off, like usual. Wendy told him to be optimistic. Lucy had come through as the helpful one of the group, and she suggested that he start to learn the language.

"I mean, you're already in French class. Just pay attention and you'll pick things up."

"Yeah man," Gray spoke up. "She's bound to learn more English anyway. Just don't mess it up. You can be an idiot."

"What did you just say?!"

Gray and Natsu started bickering, but it stopped when Natsu saw (Y/N) walk past them to her table in the corner.

"I wish I spoke French," Wendy spoke. "I feel bad for her having to sit alone all the time."

\-----------------------------------------------

A month had passed and Natsu had grasped the bare minimum of French. He would craft a sample conversation, but he always ended up butchering the pronunciations and word orders.

"This is hopeless. What the heck do I do?"

The salmon haired student had caught sight of the girl in question. She was speaking to one of their classmates, Loke, in a rather enthusiastic manner. They spoke fluently in French, and Natsu could see that (Y/N) was laughing at whatever Loke had said. Natsu groaned and continued to walk down the hall.

\------------------------------------------------

"Can I practice on you guys?"

"Why don't you stay after and ask the teacher, dumbass?"

"Because, asshole, I don't wanna learn textbook French. I wanna learn everyday, useful French. French class is nothing but a hoax."

"You're finally realizing that now? All they teach you in language classes is stuff that would only come up in a formal, structured conversation. We don't get to learn conversational language."

"I have an idea," Erza interrupted. "Why don't you both teach each other the language?"

"What do you mean?"

"That's a great idea, Erza!" Lucy exclaimed before turning to Natsu. "She means that you help (Y/N) learn English, and she can help you learn French!"

"Why would she want my help? She's been talking to the teachers all the time and some students who already know a bunch of French."

"That may be, but they're not who she's looking at right now."

Natsu let out a 'huh?' before following Lucy's subtle point over to the corner of the lunch area. His eyes widened when he saw that (Y/N) was looking towards their table. They had made eye contact before (Y/N) quickly looked away and turned back to her food. Natsu turned back to his friends and smiled wide.

"You really think it would work?"

"Worth a shot, loser."

"What did you just say to me?!"

\-------------------------------------------------------

Natsu had decided to start putting his plan in action, so he walked over to her table the next day and greeted her awkwardly.

"Uh, bonjour."

(Y/N) looked up from her book and gave him a small smile.

"Hello. Je m'appelle...uh pardon. My name is (Y/N)."

"Aimes-tu cette école?"

(Y/N) smiled at his accent and nodded.

"I like the...food."

"You do?" Natsu gave his shocked reply. "Why?"

"C'est très...différent."

Natsu laughed and agreed, "Yeah it's certainly different."

\-----------------------------------------

"How do you say compliqué en anglais?"

"Uh, complicated."

"La structure...school est complicated."

\---------------------------------------

Most of the school year had gone by, and Natsu and (Y/N) were able to have fluent conversations with each other (with occasional questions). They hung out a lot, and would talk to each other every chance they got between classes and after school.

"Hey Natsu!" (Y/N) shouted from across the hall. "Viendras-tu à my house after school?"

He gave a grin and a thumbs up before disappearing into his classroom. Lucy leaned forward from her desk behind him and kept asking him questions.

"So are you gonna ask her today?"

"Maybe. I have to get the wording right."

"It should be easy enough for you, Mister French."

Natsu rolled his eyes at Lucy's teasing laugh and turned his attention to the front of the room.

The day had rolled by, and Natsu had met (Y/N) in the front lobby. They had chatted a little before (Y/N) brought them to her car. She joked around with him when she saw that he had started to get car sick. They pulled into (Y/N)'s house a few minutes later, and they quickly went into the living room and dropped their stuff in the corner like they usually did. (Y/N)'s mom appeared from the kitchen and greeted her daughter's friends before disappearing again.

"So what's up?"

(Y/N) shrugged and stated, "Just wanted to hang out I guess. Lucy a dit que tu needed to say something."

Natsu cursed at his blonde friend before smiling nervously.

"Fine, but you need to promise not to take it badly."

(Y/N), confused, just nodded and waited.

"Uh...je veux te manger."

(Y/N)'s eyes snapped up and a look of shock appeared on her face. A deep blush was apparent.

"Uh..."

"What?" Natsu questioned, thoroughly confused.

Natsu's eyebrows knitted together before looking back up to her and sighing loudly.

"What did I say?"

"Um, you said you wanted to um, eat me."

His face paled and he quickly corrected himself, saying that he was obviously trying to say something completely different.

"What was it then?"

"I, uh...wanted you to know that I liked you."

(Y/N) let out a quiet 'oh' and twiddled with her thumbs.

"And I spent so long trying to get that sentence down and I _still_ messed it up!"

"Es-tu sérieux?"

"I know, I know! I'm an idiot. You don't gotta tell me."

He heard a small giggle and looked up to see that (Y/N) wore a mischievous smile.

"J'aimerais être une de tes larmes pour naître dans tes yeux, vivre sur tes joues et mourir sur tes lèvres."

"Yeah, I have no idea what that means."

"Je peux dire ce que je veux et tu n'aurais aucune idée de ce que je dis."

"Hey, stop! I can't keep up!"

She smiled wide and inched closer to him, giving him a small kiss on his cheek.

"Votre confusion est mignonne."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Next up is another high school AU request. Requests are OPEN.


	40. Natsu x Reader: Goal (high school au) [requested]

She didn’t even like going to her high school’s sporting events. (Y/N) would rather stay home or hang out with her friends. But there was one thing that pulled her to these games. Natsu Dragneel, the star soccer player of the school. There was no denying that he was good at the sport, and it didn’t help that he was overwhelmingly attractive to the (H/C) girl. 

“Don’t tell me you’re going to another game,” Lucy slyly remarked. 

“I just want to see if the school wins. They’re playing our rival Saturday night.”

Lucy rolled her eyes and hopped in front of her friend. 

“Why don’t you just tell him already?”

“Tell him what?”

“That you’re completely smitten with him.”

“Lucy,” (Y/N) harshly whispered, “someone is gonna hear.”

“Come on (N/N), it’s obvious that you like him, so why not tell him and take your shot?”

“Because he’s _Natsu_. There’s no way he’d talk to me. He probably doesn’t even know I exist.”

“Worth a try. And you’re not gonna do it yourself, so…”

Lucy looked off the side to see Natsu walking towards the locker room. She wore a mischievous smile, taking one look back to her friend (who had realized what she was doing and desperately tried to stop her) before shouting the salmon haired boy’s name. Natsu looked around at the call and eventually turned around to the two girls standing across the hall. He flashed a quick smile as Lucy waved before disappearing into the locker room. 

“See?” (Y/N) pushed. “He didn’t even say anything. He just took one look at us and walked away.”

Lucy rolled her eyes and pointed to the clock, showing that it was almost time for practice. 

“It’s because he’s in a rush.”

(Y/N) sighed and trekked down the hall, completely lost in her thoughts. She had made her way to the front lobby and leaned against a wall, pulling out her phone and opening her games. She went to push herself off the wall to go to her car when she bumped into someone. The force of impact pushed her back and she would’ve fallen if she wasn’t caught. (Y/N) looked up to see Natsu looking at her concerned. 

“Are you okay? I didn’t see you there.”

“Yeah, didn’t think you would’ve,” she mumbled under her breath before turning to address him. “It’s fine. I should’ve looked too.”

Natsu waved it off and threw a grin at her before something seemed to click.

“Hey are you one of those girls that called out to me earlier?”

(Y/N) immediately blushed and cursed Lucy once again.

“I felt back that I kinda blew you guys off like that, and I was hoping to find you both again to make sure you knew I was just rushing, but you were nowhere to be seen.”

“You were?”

“Well yeah. I don’t like coming off as rude, ya know?”

(Y/N) slowly nodded her head. Her eyes drifted over to a small group of guys in their uniforms that were making their way towards them. 

“Let’s go Dragneel. Coach will bench you if you’re late and then we’ll blame you when we lose.”

Natsu looked at his teammates and then turned his attention back to the (H/C) student.

“Guess that’s my cue to go,” Natsu joked. “I’ll see you around though, ‘kay?”

They both smiled at each other before going their separate directions. 

\------------------------------------------

They were at lunch, and (Y/N) kept taking quick glances over to the soccer team’s lunch table. They were their usual rowdy selves: a lot of yelling, laughing and rough housing. (Y/N) couldn’t help but smile when she saw Natsu’s happy expression.

“You’re staring again,” Evergreen spoke up.

“We all know who she’s staring at too,” Lucy teased.

(Y/N) quickly snapped her head over to her friends and glared at them. 

“I’m telling you (N/N). Just talk to him.”

“I mean...I kind of did already.”

“Yeah but that sounded like a two second conversation. You actually have to talk to him.”

“I’m fine.”

Lucy groaned and threw a chip at her. (Y/N)’s eyes wandered over to the soccer table again and she had accidentally made eye contact with the boy in question. Her eyes darted away and a small blush was seen on her face.

\----------------------------------------------

“You’re name’s (Y/N), right?”

(Y/N) jumped at the sudden voice and looked around to see where it was coming from. Her heart picked up when she saw the familiar pink hair. She caught her breath and nodded, turning around completely so she was facing him. He flashed a wide smile at her and adjusted his equipment bag that leaned against his side. 

“So what’s up?”

“Huh?”

Natsu chuckled and leaned against the nearby wall. He repeated his question and waited for a response. When he got none he spoke up again.

“You come to some games, right? I thought you looked familiar, but I could never pinpoint it.”

“Uh, yeah. I go occasionally. It’s fun to see you all play.”

“You don’t look like a sports person.”

She smiled shyly and looked away, hoping that she could find an out. 

“You wanna come to practice? It’s like a mini game,” Natsu questioned before muttering, “Well, if our coach doesn’t make us run again.”

“Oh, uh, I totally would, but I have to meet my friend after school.”

Lucy seemed to appear out of nowhere.

“Don’t worry about me, (N/N). I would actually like to watch practice too.”

(Y/N) looked surprised at her friend’s sudden appearance and tried to process what was happening. Natsu smiled wide and waved them towards the field. Lucy and (Y/N) trailed a few feet behind, and (Y/N) started freaking out.

“ **Why** would you do that?” She hissed.

“Because you would never do it without a push.” 

The three of them arrived at the field, and the two girls found a comfortable spot in the stands while Natsu jogged over to the center of the field where his team was forming a circle. About ten minutes into the practice, a soccer ball had flown from the field over to the stands. It had, of course, almost hit (Y/N) in the head. She flinched and dodged it at the last second, letting out a small gasp. 

“Sorry!”

(Y/N) looked down to the field and saw one of the other players, Gray, standing at the edge of the field as he apologized. She gave a reassuring smile and tossed the ball back. She felt someone looking at her, and when she turned towards the center of the field she saw Natsu facing them and watching them intently. Feeling awkward, (Y/N) gave a small wave to the salmon haired boy before sitting back down. 

“What was that all about?” She asked.

“Probably making sure we’re okay. It was him that sent it over the barrier.”

“Didn’t even notice.”

They turned back to the practice and made casual chatter as they watched. (Y/N) looked on amazed when she saw Natsu start to juggle the ball. He kicked it up and caught it with the back of his neck before letting it drop behind him and kicking it back over his head with the back of his head and continued to juggle after. 

“How is he doing that? He’s not even looking.”

Lucy giggled at her friend’s impressed aura and started to panic when another ball came flying at them.

“Duck!”

(Y/N) heard her a second too late, and the ball made contact with the top of her head. She let out a small ‘ow’ and rubbed the spot that was hit. Lucy looked at her concerned, but (Y/N) waved it off and said that she was fine. Practice ended soon after, and Lucy raced to her car, realizing that she was late for work. (Y/N) stood up and stretched in the stands before grabbing her backpack that sat next to her and making her way away from the field.

“Hey, wait up!”

(Y/N) looked around and saw Natsu running towards her. She wrinkled her eyebrow, but waited nonetheless. Once the soccer star had caught up to her, he looked at her seriously.

“I’m really sorry about your head. We’re not used to people in the stands when we practice, so we forget not to kick it over there.”

“It’s fine. Doesn’t hurt too bad.”

“Let me see.”

Before (Y/N) could question him, Natsu had dropped his equipment back on the ground and took her head in his hands. He ran his thumb over the forming bump and sighed.

“Yeah you’re gonna have a bump later.”

(Y/N) giggled and backed up out of his hold.

“I’m fine. Really.”

“Are you coming to the game Saturday? We’re playing our biggest rival.”

She thought for a moment before nodding.

“That’s great. I mean, I was kinda hoping you would.”

“Me?” She asked, caught off guard.

Natsu laughed nervously and nodded, explaining that he would like to see her come.

“Why?”

He regained his usual demeanor and gave a bright smile. 

“You wanna maybe go for an ice cream once I shower? To make up for hurting your head, of course.”

“Me?” She repeated, seemingly even more shocked than the last time.

Natsu laughed and nodded his head before telling her that he would be right back. He jogged back into the locker room and came out about ten minutes later. They arrived at the ice cream place and sat in the corner, casually chatting and joking. 

“So how come you come to games if you don’t usually watch sports?”

“Oh, uh, you know...uh, school pride?”

Natsu gave an unconvinced ‘uh-huh’ and continued to eat his ice cream.

“Is it Loke?”

“Huh?”

“Do you come to the games to see Loke?”

“Um no.”

“Jet?”

“No.”

“Elfman?”

“Uh, no?”

Natsu groaned. 

“What?”

“Please don’t tell me it’s Gray.”

(Y/N) let out a small giggle and shook her head.

“Then who is it?”

“How do you even know it’s anyone? What if I just want to cheer for our school?”

Natsu grumbled something, but (Y/N) couldn’t make it out. She continued to lick her ice cream when a sudden burst of confidence came over her. 

“Besides, you’re asking about the completely wrong people.”

Natsu’s face turned to one of complete concentration as he went through the list of his teammates in his head. He seemed to realize something, and his eyes slowly drifted up to hers.

“Me?” He tested.

(Y/N) laughed and agreed. 

“Me?” Shock was evident in his voice.

“Yeah. I, um, I like watching you play.”

Natsu’s smile looked like it hurt as it spread across his face.

“How would you like to sit in the front row on Saturday?”

“Uhh...isn’t the front row for like, people the players are dating or something?”

“You bet!”


	41. The Aftermath (angst): 12 Days of Christmas Part 2 [requested]

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I got my inspiration from a couple dialogue prompts made by hellsdemonictrinity on tumblr (https://hellsdemonictrinity.tumblr.com/).

It was the worst thing that could’ve happened. There was nothing that (Y/N) could think of that would amount to the pain she had felt. Natsu was the same way, but he promised himself to remain strong as a support to his fiancée. Christmas had been the very height of their relationship. I mean, getting engaged and announcing a pregnancy couldn’t be topped, right? January and February consisted of morning sickness and cramps. March had cravings of chiles and peanut butter. He would jokingly complain about all the midnight trips he would make to the local shop and markets. How he would’ve loved to do that again. (Y/N) would moan about the constant cramps and nausea. She would do anything to have that back.

“You can’t stay in bed all day, love.”

(Y/N) was curled up in the blankets as she laid in the dark room. She had blocked all the windows with curtains and sheets, and all the lights were turned off. He could hear her sobs as she tightly gripped the sheets. 

“Just ten more minutes.”

“We have to get to the guild before 5:30 (17:30). They’re expecting--”

He stopped suddenly at the word and fisted his hands until they turned white. He rephrased after he heard her continue to cry.

“They want us there before it gets dark. There’s a meeting.”

“Go without me. I can’t go today.”

Natsu sighed and made his way over to her. The bed dipped as he sat on his side. Neither of them spoke, (Y/N)’s sobs filling the room to a point where neither of them wanted to. Natsu swiveled so he was sitting facing sideways and reached his left hand over to the pile of blankets that held his fiancée. 

“Come on, love. At least come out to eat.”

“I don’t want food.”

“You haven’t eaten in two days now. You have to--”

“I don’t want to.”

Silence overtook them again.

“You have to get up.”

“What’s the point? It’s all pointless. Just let me here.”

“Everyone is worried. They just want to see that you’re o--”

“Okay? They want to know if I’m _okay_? Why don’t you tell me if I’m _**okay**_ or not.”

__

Natsu pressed his lips together tightly before he leaned to the side, rolling on the bed so he was sitting right next to her. He pressed his hand on the blanket where her shoulders would be and started to rub it to provide her with a small comfort. Her sniffles broke his already broken heart. He honestly didn’t know how to get through this, and he knew she was feeling the same way. He tried coaxing her, bribing her, begging her. She wouldn’t move. The dragon slayer decided to try something different. The blankets that barricaded her from the rest of the world were suddenly pulled off her. She gasped and pulled at the edges, trying to pull the covers back. Natsu’s grip was deemed to be the stronger of the two, and the blankets were yanked from her hands.

__

“Natsu,” she spat, “give it back. I told you that I don’t want to go and I’m not--”

__

She was swiftly picked up by the fire wizard, and Natsu had silently brought her to the living room and set her down on the couch. Her eyes squinted at the sudden light of day and her face twisted. She went to yell at him, but she was cut off when he returned with her blanket and wrapped it around both of them after he sat to her side. 

__

“Natsu--”

__

“I won’t lose you too.” 

__

His words were so simple, but they held power. A deep story hid behind those words, and for the first time (Y/N) saw that he too was ready to give up. She sniffled and plastered herself up against his side as she cried. They both held onto each other tightly, thinking that they too would disappear if they let go. 

__

“I know Lucy can’t wait to see you again. She was going on and on about it earlier today.”

__

“I don’t want to be pitied. I don’t wanna go back.”

__

“I know, love. I know.”

__

She scooted closer to him, tightening her hold even more. He felt the pads of her fingers roughly grip his overcoat. Natsu pried her hands off him to hold them in his own. (Y/N) smiled sadly when he brought her hands up to his mouth and placed light kisses on them. 

__

“We’re gonna be okay.”

__

“I’m scared.”

__

Natsu placed his hand on her cheek and used his thumb to rub comforting circles. He brought his lips onto her face, placing soft kisses from her forehead to under her chin. (Y/N) couldn’t help but giggle. She gasped when she felt his hands at the ticklish spot by her armpits. 

__

“Natsu Dragneel, don’t you dare--”

__

He didn’t listen, and she erupted in loud laughter as she squirmed and begged for him to stop. The weight on Natsu’s heart slightly lessened once he was able to see her laughing again. He would do anything to bring her out of the dark depths that they were both thrown in. The laughter died down once (Y/N) was able to wiggle free. When he saw the same solemn look reappear, he suddenly stood up and pulled her with him. She protested at first, but followed him anyway. He stood in the middle of the living room and bowed dramatically.

__

“May I have this dance?”

__

A small smile made its way onto her face, and she hesitantly took his hand. They slowly swayed, (Y/N)’s head rested on his chest and Natsu’s hands on her hips. 

__

“Natsu?”

__

He hummed in acknowledgement. 

__

“Was I just...not good enough?”

__

His chin rested on top of her head, and her hips felt slight pressure. 

__

“I don’t think it was that, love. I think maybe it wasn’t time.”

__

“I wanted it to be though,” she spoke quietly, on the verge of tears again. 

__

Natsu held her at her shoulders at an arm’s length. 

__

“We’ll get through this. I promise you.”

__

He unraveled his scarf from his neck and wrapped it around hers. She took in the familiar scent, burying her nose in the fabric. She leaned towards him again and nuzzled herself into his side. She went to say something, but the sounds of her stomach growling cut her off. Natsu laughed lightly and looked at her amused. (Y/N) blushed deeply.

__

“Still not hungry, love?”

__

(Y/N) scrunched her nose as she debated her answer. 

__

“Why don’t you and I skip the meeting and go get something good. I’m sure Gramps will understand.”

__

“Can we get some cake too?” (Y/N) asked quietly, but her voice was full of hope.

__

“I think we can manage enough time for that.”

__

(Y/N) shuffled back into the bedroom and looked down at her clothes. For the first time in more than a week, she had realized how dirty she was. Her nose wrinkled at the smell that she had caught. 

__

“Natsu?”

__

Said dragon slayer poked his head into the room.

__

“Did you know how bad I stink?”

__

Natus just laughed and walked over to her, hugging her from behind.

__

“That’s not an answer. Your nose must be in so much pain.”

__

“Not that worried about it, love. Just let me know when you’re ready to leave.”

__

(Y/N) stepped in the shower, and all the sadness that she felt came flooding back when she looked down at her bare stomach. 

__

“Natsu!”

__

She heard a big bang before he coughed and stood by the curtain.

__

“Yes?”

__

“I don’t wanna be alone.”

__

He was behind the curtain a few seconds later. 

__

“Better?”

__

She stepped closer to him and held onto him, hugging him and looking back up at him. 

__

“Can we get fish?”

__

Natsu laughed loudly and leaned down to kiss her nose.

__

“We can get whatever you want.”

__

“And we’ll be okay?”

__

“We’ll be okay.”

__

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Requests are OPEN.


	42. Natsu x Reader: Surprise [requested]

It was here. The week had come and (Y/N) was the most excited member of the guild. She kept bouncing around and whispering in people’s ears about the plan.

“Why does she even bother anymore?” Gray drawled. “She gives it away every year. There’s no point in planning a surprise party when he’s gonna know.”

“I think it’s rather cute,” Erza commented. 

“I agree with Miss Erza,” Wendy added. “She tries her best.”

Lucy tittered, “Yeah, she just can’t contain the amount of energy she had when keeping a secret.”

(Y/N) had made her way over to their table and started rambling on about what she was planning this year.

“(Y/N), don’t you think you should just do a regular party instead of a surprise one? You always tell him beforehand.”

“This year will be different,” she spoke firmly with a sparkle in her eyes. “I promised that I wouldn’t tell him this time!”

Gray rolled his eyes and turned his attention back to the drink he ordered. (Y/N) turned to Lucy and started excitedly revealing the details of the party. The guild doors opened and Natsu and Happy wandered in. He caught her eye and flashed a grin before ordering some food from the bar and making his way over to the table. He took one look at her expression and raised an eyebrow.

“Are you constipated or something, (N/N)?”

“What?” 

“You’re making a weird face.”

(Y/N) waved it off and moved over so he could sit. The group of them chatted for a while before (Y/N), Natsu and Happy all said their goodbyes and headed home. 

“You’re too excited about something.”

The (H/C) wizard jumped in front of him and wiggled her finger. 

“And what do you know about that?”

Natsu just chuckled and pulled her towards the house.

“Your birthday is next week,” she blurted, already cursing her inability to keep a secret.

“That it is. So what kinda party are you throwing me this year?”

“I’m not.”

Natsu gave a ‘mmhmm’ as he retreated into the kitchen to get something to eat. 

“I’m serious! I figured you could have a calm birthday this year.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll find out within the next few days. You’re terrible at keeping secrets.”

(Y/N) puffed out her cheeks and made her way into the bedroom to pout.

\-----------------------------------------------

“Fish or meat?”

“Honestly (Y/N),” Charle chided, “do you really plan on being able to keep the secret?”

“Of course I do! This year will be different!”

She had eventually decided on doing smoked fish, so she scurried up to Makarov to ask him if she could store the food at the guild. He agreed and told her that he would keep the food safe until the party. (Y/N) joined Team Natsu’s table again and quickly waved Natsu over when he arrived. 

“So when’s the party?” Natsu asked cheekily.

“I’m not throwing you one this year,” (Y/N) responded coolly.

“Whatever you say.”

\-----------------------------------------------

“Happy, I need your help. What do you think Natsu--”

“So you _are_ throwing him a surprise party!” Happy exclaimed. 

“Shh. I want it to be a surprise.”

“But you never keep it a secret.”

“Why does everyone keep saying that?”

“Because every year you cave and tell him and then it’s not a surprise.”

“This year is different!”

\-----------------------------------------------

It had come time. The day before Natsu’s birthday and (Y/N) had been able to keep her secret. Natsu seemed to be down, so she checked in on him.

“What’s wrong, Natsu? Aren’t you excited for your birthday tomorrow?”

Natsu gave a weak smile and sighed loudly before sitting over on the bench. (Y/N) was right at his side a second later, feeling his forehead and studying his face.

“What’re you doing?” Natsu asked as his laughter leaked through.

“You don’t seem right. Do you not feel well?”

“No it’s not that. It’s just, is there really nothing going on tomorrow? You haven’t said anything.”

“Don’t worry Natsu. I’ll hang out with you all day tomorrow and we can go fishing in our special spot!”

Natsu hooked his arm around her and pulled her closer, resting his head on hers.

“You’re still gonna have a good birthday, even without a party.”

“We’re having smoked fish tomorrow,” Natsu stated. “I’ll make sure to pick some up.”

“We can definitely have smoked fish,” she responded nonchalantly. 

\-----------------------------------------

Natsu woke up from the sound of heavy rain hitting the roof. He groaned and peeked out the window to see a dreary sky and deep puddles on the ground. He looked back to the bed to see that (Y/N) was missing, and curiosity got the best of him, so he wandered out of the bedroom to look around. He bumped into the girl in question as she was holding a tray. She had managed to stop the food from falling and hesitantly pushed it into his arms.

“I know it’s not much, but with the rain I figured it would make it a bearable start to the day.”

Natsu looked at the food and smiled gratefully before guiding them both to the kitchen table. He yawned loudly and slowly ate his food, looking dejected. 

“I’m really sorry about the rain, Natsu. I know you were looking forward to fishing. But we can always go whenever it stops raining!”

They had spent the rest of the morning calmly chatting and lightly teasing one another. 

“We should just go to the guild,” Natsu suggested. “I’m sure everyone is looking for something to do.”

(Y/N) looked at the clock and smiled proudly at her timing before agreeing and grabbing an umbrella. The three of them made their way to the guildhall, (Y/N)’s excitement increasing with each step.

“Are you okay?”

“I threw you a surprise party,” she blurted before gasping at her revelation. 

Natsu started laughing and opened the door to see everyone standing there expectantly. 

“Way to go (Y/N),” Gajeel sarcastically spoke. “We told you that you wouldn’t be able to keep it a secret.”

“I was so close!” (Y/N) screamed in frustration. 

The fire dragon slayer placed both hands on her shoulders as he stood behind her and teased, “Wouldn’t have it any other way, (N/N).”

“Happy birthday,” she congratulated sheepishly. 

She received a quick kiss on the cheek before he wandered over to the piles of smoked fish that sat on the back tables. 

“Next year I’ll keep it a secret. I promise!”

Everyone simply groaned and told her it would never happen.


	43. Natsu x Reader: Rope of Frustration [requested]

Lucy walked towards the guild doors and sighed when she heard the usual chaos that existed behind the doors. She took in a deep breath and slowly opened the door, expecting to see everyone brawling each other. The celestial wizard was shocked to see that only two people were fighting. Tables and barstools were scattered across the guildhall, half of them broken and burnt. She was about to ask everyone how two people could bring this amount of fighting so early in the morning, but she only got a silent point to reveal who the two fighters were. Lucy sweatdropped when she saw Natsu and (Y/N) breathing heavily as they stood toe to toe with their heads butting together. 

“Of course,” Lucy groaned. “I should’ve guessed.”

Another table went flying, as well as Natsu. Both crashed into the wall on the opposite side of the guildhall. He sprung back up, his fists engulfed in flames, and charged at the (H/C) girl again. (Y/N) used her wind magic to fling him back against the wall again. 

“That’s it, now you’re making me angry!”

“Your very presence makes me angry.”

“You wanna say that again, asshole?”

(Y/N) scoffed and decided that she would answer him by trapping him in a vortex. Natsu’s fire flared out around him, but the wind quickly dealt with it. (Y/N) smiled smugly before taunting him again.

“What’s wrong, dragon boy? A little out of breath?”

“Not a chance!”

Natsu used his Roar to knock her back and followed it up with him rushing at her to use his Iron Fist. (Y/N) tsked and had her magic gather into her fists. Their fists collided, and both of them were pushed quite a distance from each other. 

“Uh, guys? Maybe we could have this wait until after eight in the morning?”

“I’ll stop as soon as he stops being an annoying, idiotic dumbass.”

“Idiotic and dumbass are the same thing, you jerk!”

Lucy sighed and made her way over to the bar to order some breakfast. Mira cheerily greeted her and started a conversation with her. 

“So how long have they been going at it this time?”

Mira giggled and responded, “They’ve been fighting for over an hour now, and as you can see from the mess, they’re not really holding back that much.”

“This is ridiculous. They need to get along somehow or else the guild is gonna be destroyed.” 

“Don’t you worry about that, Lucy. I have a plan.”

Lucy went to ask what, but she was just met with Mira’s mischievous smile. 

\--------------------------------------------------

“Okay everyone, it’s time to--”

Makarov was cut off by a flaming stool being hurled at him. It narrowly missed him, and everyone could see the irritation on the master’s face. 

“Children, it’s time to--”

“You wanna go, fire freak?”

“Oh it’s on, dusty.”

“ENOUGH.”

Everyone looked over to the master to see that he was giving both (Y/N) and Natsu a stern look before pointing to a couple empty chairs. 

“Now, as I was trying to say,” he started again, looking at the two fighting wizards, “it’s time for a little game. Mira has suggested we do a team building game. Two people are going to be tied together, and they can only be released from each other when they are able to work as a productive team.”

They all nodded and waited for their partners to be listed. Mira revealed each pair, a smirk coming on her face as she announced her favorite pair.

“(Y/N) and Natsu, you are partners.”

Both of their faces dropped.

“No way!” They both yelled.

“I am not going to be attached to the space heater.”

“How do you think I feel?”

Mira shushed the both of them before explaining the rules again, saying that they would be able to be released once they learned to get along and work as an effective team. They both looked at each other and glared.

\---------------------------------------------------------------

“Do you mind?” Natsu snapped. “I’m trying to eat and your hand keeps getting in the way.”

“That’s kind of the point of being tied together, dumbass.”

“This is so stupid. I say we just cut these ropes off and--”

“Were you even listening? They’re magic ropes. They can’t be broken until you stop being an idiot.”

“That’s not what it is at all! It’s not until you stop being annoying.”

“What did you say, lizard?”

They both butted heads again and tried to fight, but their attachment deemed it too difficult. 

\----------------------------------------------------------------

Almost all of the Fairy Tail wizards were able to be freed of their ropes by the end of the day, but Natsu and (Y/N) were still arguing at full energy. Makarov sighed and clapped his hands to silence them. 

“Children, all you have to do is get along. Is that so hard for you to do?”

Both Natsu and (Y/N) responded in perfect unison, their tones matching, “Yes.”

Natsu turned to (Y/N) and glared at her, saying, “He was talking to me, idiot.”

“No he wasn’t,” she argued. “He was very clearly talking to me.”

They continued to bicker as everyone sighed, giving up hope of this exercise helping at all. 

\------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Can you at least _try_ to cooperate with me?”

“Listen, I’m trying my best. It’s not my fault your apartment is up so many stairs.”

“Well I usually don’t have a problem with it, but it seems that I have acquired about 140 pound in baggage.”

Natsu rolled his eyes and continued to let himself be pulled up the stairs. Once they reached the apartment, (Y/N) yanked him over the kitchen. Natsu started to go through it himself when his free hand was smacked away.

“And who said you could have my food?”

“Well if I’m staying here then I need to eat.”

“Whatever.”

They had managed to eat with their free hands before (Y/N) realized something.

“You are _not_ looking at me while I’m getting dressed.”

“Good. You’re not looking at me either.”

After eating, (Y/N) dragged the dragon slayer over to her closet and she pulled out a sleep outfit. 

“Well?”

Natsu snapped back a ‘what?’ as he looked at her.

“I need to get dressed,” she stated simply.

“So get dressed,” came his annoyed reply.

\--------------------------------------------------------

The two wizards entered the guildhall the next day, ropes still attached. Lucy sighed loudly and turned to Mira.

“I don’t think your plan is working.”

“Give it time.”

“What’s up with you two?” Gray questioned. “You’re wearing the same thing as yesterday.”

“Well I’m certainly not getting dressed while attached to him.”

“Ditto.”

“Why don’t you guys just get along then?” Gajeel drawled. “I mean, come on. At least try.”

“No way.”

\---------------------------------------------------------

“I don’t like fish.”

“Well too bad. We’re having fish.”

(Y/N) stuck her tongue out in disgust and went to sit down, but she was pulled back by the ropes since Natsu refused to move from the fridge. 

“Do you mind?”

“I should say the same to you,” Natsu sassed. “I’m _trying_ to get dinner ready.”

(Y/N) made a face back at him and tried to cross her arms, but she concluded that she couldn’t with him attached to her.

“This is so stupid. I would have no problem getting along with anyone else. I was just unlucky enough to get _you_.”

“What did you just say?!”

\-------------------------------------------------------

It had been three days, and (Y/N) and Natsu were still attached. Makarov pinched his nose when he heard that they were still arguing. 

“Children, I think it’s time to make up.”

(Y/N) turned her attention to her master and shook her head, saying that it wouldn’t happen. Makarov looked to Mira, silently asking if the spell could be undone. He was met with her shaking her head.

“You two need to be able to get along before the spell is released. There’s no way around it.”

(Y/N) winced when she felt her wrist burning. She looked down to see that Natsu had engulfed his hand in fire.

“Watch it, you idiot! You’re burning me.”

“Well I’m trying to burn the rope. Any better ideas, windy?”

“I have an idea,” Lucy spoke up. “Why don’t you two work on getting along? I can help.”

Natsu and (Y/N) looked at each other before huffing and glaring. They instinctively went to walk away from one another, but like before, the ropes forced them back to each other’s sides. Lucy heard a big sigh from (Y/N) and a loud groan from Natsu before they both slowly nodded. 

Lucy had led them to the center of the park for their first task. She had the sit in a circle with her to talk. 

“What’s the point of this, Lu?”

“We’re all getting to know each other. Share stuff.”

“Like what? I’m not gonna spill all my secrets to some fire fanatic.”

“Let’s just be simple. What’s one thing that you like?”

“Fish.”

“And you, (N/N)?”

“I like nature.”

“And what’s one thing you guys don’t like?”

“Well obviously--”

“You can’t say each other!”

“I don’t really like a lot of noise. It makes me nervous.”

“Oh yeah?” Natsu started. “If you don’t like noise so much then why are you always yelling?”

“I yell when I have to.”

“You never _need_ to yell.”

“Then why do you do it all the time?” She whipped back.

“I don’t yell!”

“You’re yelling right now, you idiot!”

“Lucy,” Natsu shouted, “this isn’t working at all!”

Lucy looked at the bickering pair and groaned. 

\-----------------------------------------------

“Okay, we’re telling each other secrets.”

“There’s no way in hell I’m telling this loudmouth any of my secrets.”

“What did you say?!”

“Please guys? Believe me when I say that all of Fairy Tail can’t wait until the spell is released too. Just try to get along.”

(Y/N) sighed and turned to Natsu.

“My secret is that I actually like fish.”

“ _What?!_ Then why were you giving me a hard time about it the other day?”

“Because I don’t like _your_ fish.”

“Fine then my secret is that I actually like sleeping on my left side!”

“You’re telling me I had to sleep on my back because you wanted to make things difficult for me?!”

“Well you did the same thing with dinner!”

“I can’t believe you. My back hurts so much because I couldn’t turn over.”

“LUCY,” they both shouted. 

“This is gonna be a long process,” Lucy mumbled. 

\----------------------------------------------------

Six days had passed, and the two wizards were still attached. (Y/N) and Natsu had decided to sleep at Natsu’s house, and they had come up with a dressing system so they could change and shower.

“Will you stand still?” (Y/N) hissed. 

“No.”

Natsu continued to squirm as they laid in bed, which prompted (Y/N)’s foot to slam into his stomach. 

“What was that for?!”

“I said stay still! I can’t sleep when you’re twisting so much.”

Natsu huffed and stopped wiggling. (Y/N) sarcastically thanked him and started to close her eyes. She had fallen asleep a few minutes later, leaving Natsu to his own thoughts. He couldn’t shift positions anymore without her waking up to yell at him, and he couldn’t get to sleep otherwise, so he was left staring at the window that was placed behind (Y/N). They had to lay facing each other so that neither of them would be tangled by the ropes, which made matters worse. He glared at her peaceful face before forcing his eyes shut. His attempts at sleep didn’t work, so he just continued to glare at (Y/N), hoping that it would wake her up. Her mouth opened slightly and she seemed to drift closer to him.

Natsu watched her carefully. (Y/N) started to hum before she tried to turn over, pulling Natsu’s arm with her. She was stopped by the tension in the ropes, causing her to frown. Natsu rolled his eyes and scoffed. The (H/C) wizard settled down again and drifted closer yet again. 

“Oh hell no.”

She had gotten to a distance where her forehead was touching his shoulder, and she didn’t seem to be waking up. She scooted closer, and she ended up being flush against him. Natsu had a hard stare at her figure as she continued to sleep peacefully. His gaze fell and became one of confusion as he watched her. 

For the first time, Natsu became aware of how his nemesis had actually looked. He noticed the shape of her nose and the bones of her cheeks. Her peaceful expression was completely different than the faces he had seen. Was this what she looked like to everyone else? Is this what they saw when she would talk to them? 

Her other arm moved so it was tucked between them. She breathed slowly as she slept. Natsu tried to look away, but his eyes kept drifting back over to her. He huffed and forced himself to look at the ceiling above her, but his eyes kept betraying him. 

“What the hell?”

\---------------------------------------------------

Day 8. Eight whole days of being attached and (Y/N) and Natsu had still failed to release the spell. Natsu seemed a little off to everyone, but (Y/N) paid no attention to it. They followed Lucy back into the park for their daily teamwork exercises. 

“You have to say something nice to each other.”

(Y/N) rolled her eyes and faced Natsu.

“Well? I’m waiting for my compliment.”

Natsu went to snap back at her, but he caught himself for a reason unknown to him. He just stared at her, making both Lucy and (Y/N) raise their eyebrows. 

“I, uh, I like your hair.”

(Y/N) laughed loudly and started to taunt him, but she was scolded by Lucy.

“See (N/N)? He did it, so now you do it.”

The (H/C) girl took in an aggravated breath before saying that she thought he was a good opponent in battle. For the first time in eight days, there was peace between them. (Y/N) turned to Natsu and looked confused when she saw that he was already staring at her. He seemed to notice he was caught, and he quickly looked away. 

\---------------------------------------------------

Nighttime came and (Y/N) and Natsu prepared for bed at Natsu’s house again. They quickly got changed and laid down. (Y/N) had drifted asleep first again, so Natsu just watched her until he fell asleep. He woke up a half hour later to see that (Y/N) had drifted over to him again.

“Oh come on,” he huffed. “What the hell is she doing?”

His eyes ran over her, and much like last time, he couldn't look away. He tensed when (Y/N) came closer. Her breathing was able to be felt by the dragon slayer. Natsu felt her start to stir, and he quickly shut his eyes to appear to be sleeping. 

\----------------------------------------------

“Start off with your compliments,” Lucy instructed. 

“I’m impressed on how much you can eat in one sitting.”

“You smell nice.”

Lucy looked at Natsu’s expression and raised an eyebrow. She decided to test a hunch. 

“Give each other another compliment.”

“Lucy,” (Y/N) whined, “can’t we just move onto the next step?”

“Just do one more and then we’ll move on.”

(Y/N) huffed and turned to Natsu again, staring him down.

“Well?”

Natsu was already looking at her, and he gave an absentminded ‘huh?’ when he realized she was speaking.

“I’m waiting for my compliment, assshole.”

“Why do I have to go first?” Natsu complained, regaining his usual defensive nature when facing her.

“Because I went first last time.”

“Well good. Now you can go first again.”

“You’re so aggravating.”

“Yeah well so are you!”

Lucy just sighed and let them bicker it out, but she started scolding them when she saw they were starting to throw spells at each other.

“Hey! Knock it off.”

\------------------------------------------------------

Day ten had rolled around, and they were still attached. 

“I could’ve been paired with anyone else and I would be out of these ropes within the day. I’m paired up with you and now I have to deal with you for over a week.”

“The same goes for you. I would’ve rather been paired with Gray than you.”

(Y/N) stuck her tongue out and yanked him over to the bar. 

“You two still can't break the spell?” Mira hesitantly questioned. “I thought that you surely would’ve by now.”

(Y/N) started complaining, but Natsu stayed silent. That is, until (Y/N) accidentally moved her arm and caused him to fall off his stool. He whipped back up and started shouting at her. She just smirked and continued to have a conversation with Mira. 

“You totally did that on purpose!”

“I would never try to hurt you, Natsu,” came her response as she wore a devilish smile. 

\---------------------------------------------

“This is so stupid. Why can’t you just get along with me?”

“Uh, _excuse me_? You’re the one that can’t get along with me!”

“Whatever, smokey. Let’s just get to bed. I’m exhausted from having to deal with you all day.”

“What did you just say?!”

(Y/N) forced him to walk over to the bed, and she happily hopped onto it before grabbing the covers and pulling them over her. Natsu tsked before slowly following. They had drifted off to sleep, and Natsu had finally been able to sleep the night. The same did not happen for (Y/N). She had, as usual and unbeknown to her, slithered into Natsu’s side. She opened her eyes and confusedly looked around, her eyes widening when she saw their positioning. She quickly scooted away from him, careful not to wake him up, knowing that he would never let her live it down if he found out. Once she was at a safe distance, she let out a breath of relief. 

“That was close.”

She looked at him, squinting so she could see in the dark. He was sleeping peacefully, all of the muscles in his face relaxed. (Y/N) couldn’t help but notice how different he looked compared to when he was awake. He was quiet now, which is something she didn’t think he could do. Her mouth turned upwards into a small smile, but she quickly caught herself and glared at the dragon slayer. 

“As if.”

She angrily squeezed her eyes shut and huffed. It didn’t last long, as she peeked at his sleeping figure with slitted eyes. For the first time, she had become aware of the smell that danced off him. His eyes started to flutter open, and she quickly shut hers again to appear to be sleeping. 

\-----------------------------------------------------

The next day, (Y/N) seemed a little off. She wouldn’t try to aggravate the dragon slayer as much, and she seemed calm compared to her usual on-edge personality. Lucy studied the pair before smirking and turning to Mira. 

“Their ropes will be off by tomorrow. I can feel it.”

(Y/N) started walking over to Makarov to say something to him, and of course Natsu had to follow. She went to address the master when she realized something and turned to Natsu.

“Do you mind? I’m trying to have a private conversation.”

“Are you serious?” Natsu yelled. “I’m _attached_ to you! How the hell am I supposed to leave you alone?”

Mira and Lucy looked to each other and groaned. 

\-----------------------------------------------------

(Y/N) purposely stayed up so she could watch Natsu again, and she felt like a creep for doing so, but her curiosity got the better of her. She looked over at Happy to make sure he was asleep so that she wouldn’t get caught. After a while, her exhaustion had taken over her and she drifted off to sleep. As usual, she subconsciously scooted closer to him. 

Natsu woke up from the weight that he felt pressing against him, and he quickly guessed that it was (Y/N). The corners of his mouth twitched upwards and he shifted slightly so he could see her better. He caught himself again and growled.

\-------------------------------------------------------

Day fourteen. 

“Can you pass me that cup?”

Natsu silently tossed the mug over to the girl that was attached to him. He received a quick ‘thank you’ before (Y/N) turned back to her conversation with Cana at the bar. Lucy and Mira smiled at each other before going to put them to the test.

“We’re doing a rapid fire round this time. Ready?”

“Aren’t we going to the park?”

“Not today. I figured we needed a change of scenery.”

(Y/N) raised her eyebrow and inquired, “And the guildhall that we’re in for most of the day everyday is the best place to do that?”

“Either way. Are you ready?”

They both reluctantly nodded their heads. The whole guild howled when they heard that they needed to give each other compliments. 

“Has that actually worked before, Lucy?” Macao laughed. 

(Y/N) took in a deep breath and stared Natsu right in the eyes when she said, “I’m glad you don’t snore too much.”

“ _That’s_ your compliment? Fine. Then I’m glad you don’t drool.”

“As if! I don’t drool!”

“Oh yeah? Then why did my hand feel wet?”

“That’s called sweat, you asshole. It’s not my fault you sweat when you sleep. I don’t even go near your hand anyway.”

“Uh, yes you do,” Natsu countered. “You’re always coming over to my side at night.”

“Yeah well I--what?”

“You would think that you’d be more aware of what you do in your sleep. You do it every night, so no wonder why my hand is sweating!”

(Y/N) stopped arguing, Her cheeks were a faint pink and she avoided eye contact.

“I didn’t know you knew I did that. I thought it was a one time thing.”

“It happens every night.”

“S-Sorry.”

“I mean…uh, nevermind.”

——————————-

(Y/N) stood stiffly in the middle of the room, staring at the bed. Natsu didn’t give her time to resist, and she was pulled over by the ropes. 

“Um, feel free to wake me up if I do that again, okay?”

“It’s fine,” was his simple reply. 

They both got to bed, and (Y/N) tensed so that she wouldn’t fall asleep, hoping to not embarrass herself more. 

“You’re acting weird.”

“Wha—no I’m not! I’m just not tired yet.”

Natsu rolled his eyes and mumbled a ‘whatever’ before he pulled the covers up. (Y/N) shut her eyes to try to sleep, but it wasn’t working. She wouldn’t let herself fall asleep, too paranoid that she would move closer to him. She peeked up at him and glared when she saw that he was already looking at her. 

“What do you think you’re doing? I was trying to sleep.”

“Oh please, you look completely different when you sleep. You were obviously awake.”

“Huh?”

“What?”

“How do you know that?”

Natsu went silent and cursed when he realized he had been caught. 

“You totally watch me sleep!”

“Yeah well you do too!”

“I, uh…”

“Yeah I noticed too. I can feel when people stare at me.”

(Y/N) looked away quickly. 

“You look different when you sleep too,” she shyly admitted. 

They held their gazes, trying to figure out what the other was thinking. 

“I, uh, I mean it’s not _bad_ , just kinda different. You don’t frown as much when you’re sleeping.”

“You don’t talk as much,” (Y/N) quickly rebutted. 

“Seriously? I give you a genuine compliment and you—”

(Y/N) started giggling and waved it off. 

“Sorry that I slipped hot sauce into your drink earlier,” (Y/N) apologized. 

“That was you?!”

She laughed nervously and nodded. Natsu muttered something under his breath that (Y/N) couldn’t make out. 

“I won’t make fun of you if you don’t make fun of me?” (Y/N) suggested. 

Natsu slowly nodded before he went to roll over. The ropes caught him and pulled him back. 

“You idiot. Did you seriously forget we’re attached?”

“It was worth a shot.”

(Y/N) yawned and wiggled on the bed to get comfortable. She couldn’t seem to find a spot, so she got an idea. Natsu seemed to get the same idea, as he slowly lifted up his open arm with a deep blush apparent on his face. 

“Are you sure?”

“I don’t mind.”

The (H/C) girl looked down and slowly scooted closer to him. 

\---------------------------------------------

Day fifteen. The doors to the guildhall opened slowly and revealed the pair. Everyone groaned and tried to prepare for whatever argument was coming next, but they got none. (Y/N) rushed over to the bar and ordered something to drink. 

“Well hello there, (Y/N). You look happy today.”

“You wanna see a cool magic trick?” She asked suddenly.

“A trick?” Lucy questioned. “What kind of trick?”

“A cool one.”

They all gathered around the attached pair, all curious of what the trick would be, as they made quite a big deal out of it.

“Okay Natsu,” (Y/N) instructed. “Say the magic words.”

“Fire Make: Destroy!”

They held up their attached arms and overdramatically pulled the ropes off and threw them on the floor. Everyone blinked a couple times and did a doubletake to see the ropes. (Y/N) and Natsu giggled mischievously as they watched the shock on their friends’ faces. Mira’s smile stretched across her face as she congratulated them. 

“You guys did it!”

“Yeah how’d you manage to release the spell? Did you find a loophole or something?”

“No we did not,” Natsu defended. “We learned how to get along.” 

Everyone took one look at the pair and started howling with laughter.

“What?” (Y/N) shouted. “We did!”

They all joked a little more before leaving for their usual places. Natsu and (Y/N) wandered back over to the bar and shared some food that they both ordered. Lucy watched them intently and shared a look with Mira. 

“So,” Mira prompted, “how did you guys manage to do it?”

“Oh, uh, well...teamwork?”

_“Are you sure?”_

_“I don’t mind.”_

_The (H/C) girl looked down and slowly scooted closer to him. She laid her head on his chest. He felt his arm lay over her, and she stiffened when she felt him push on her back to bring her closer. She relaxed a few seconds later and let out a big breath._

_“What’s up with you?”_

_“It’s just...different.”_

_Natsu chuckled and pulled the covers closer. (Y/N) wrapped her arm around him so that she was holding the back of his shirt._

_“Hey Natsu?”_

_“Yeah?”_

_“Do you think that we can maybe stop hating each other so much? It’s kind of exhausting.”_

_Natsu laughed loudly before teasing, “Aw but who is gonna annoy the shit out of me now?”_

_“You have Gray.”_

_“Touché.”_

_“To be honest, I think I put more energy into that than I would if I tried to like you.”_

_“Hm. I can be on board with not hating each other, but you still have to fight me sometimes.”_

_“Oh it’s on. And I’ll make sure to kick your ass so bad.”_

_“I can’t wait.”_

_They both felt a little pinch and looked down to see that the ropes were glowing a faint pink. The light got brighter to the point where they needed to close their eyes. When they opened them, their wrists were free._

_“No way.”_

_“Hell yes! Finally! Do you know how long I’ve been waiting to sleep in my own bed?”_

_“Are we...free?”_

_“You bet!”_

“So you guys are all good with each other now?”

They both nodded. Everyone in the guild was overtaken with disbelief. Both wizards went to order some fish from the bar when Mira spoke up.

“Sorry guys, but there’s only two fish left.”

(Y/N) and Natsu looked to each other before glaring and turning back to Mira and speaking in unison, “I want it!”

“You already ate this morning,” (Y/N) stated. 

“Yeah and I’m still hungry! You should give it to me because I’ve been letting you sleep at my house for the past two weeks.”

“No, _I_ should be the one to get it. I had to deal with your mess for two weeks!”

“Uh guys, why don’t you just split it so you each have one--”

“Not now, Lucy!” They both screamed. 

Everyone sweatdropped as the pair continued to argue.

“Looks like nothing changed,” Mira regrettably stated. 

“Not so fast, child,” Makarov interrupted. “They can work together. That’s no doubt now. It doesn’t mean that they’ll be perfect with each other, but there has been a deep understanding of each other. You can tell by looking at their faces.”

The guild members followed their master’s hunch and looked over to see that Natsu and (Y/N) were sparring. They noticed no malice in the fighting, and even saw Natsu grinning wide.

“Wow,” Gray drawled.”Didn’t know he could do that.”


	44. Natsu x Reader: Prom Pepperoni

The school was buzzing with excitement. Why? Prom. Everyone’s energy level skyrocketed at the thought of their senior prom. Girls were gathered around dress magazines, excitedly picking out their dream dresses. Everyone was paired up. Well, except for one person. 

“Do you think he forgot?” (Y/N) dejectedly questioned. 

“Of course not!” Lucy reassured. “He’s probably just distracted.”

“Doubt it,” Evergreen dismissed. “That guy is so forgetful that I doubt he even remembers prom is a thing.”

(Y/N) moaned and placed her head on the lunch table. She heard shuffling and peeked up to see Natsu standing there with a wide grin. 

“There you are. I’ve been looking for you all day.”

(Y/N)’s eyes lit up and sat up straight. 

“I want to ask you if I could borrow your calc homework. I got a notebook check next period.”

Her sparkles immediately disappeared and she rolled her eyes before sifting through her backpack to hand him her homework. He gave a quick ‘thanks!’ before making his way back over towards the lunch line. 

“He’s unbelievable,” Evergreen scoffed. “Who forgets to ask their own girlfriend to prom?”

“What did he do last year, (N/N)?” Lucy asked. 

“He actually remembered last year,” she muttered. “Doesn’t look like it’s happening this time though.”

———————

(Y/N) had decided to pick out her dress anyway, saying that she would go alone if she had to. Her senior prom was something that she wasn’t going to skip. 

“Blue?”

“I was thinking more of a red,” (Y/N) answered Evergreen. 

“Oh! Red would be great to bring out your eyes!” Lucy gushed. 

The three laughed amongst themselves and started sharing plans for the night. 

“Have you and Elfman decided on a color?”

“Green of course. Nothing compliments my skin tone more than green.”

“Lucy?”

“I’m going purple.”

Evergreen started to say something, it she silenced herself when she saw Natsu start to walk towards them. (Y/N) felt hands circle her waist and a weight on her shoulder. 

“Yes?”

“Think you can help with something? Alone?”

(Y/N)’s ears perked up and a smile spread across her face. She hurriedly followed him down the hall, her friends giving her their thumbs up. 

\----------------------------------------

“And? How is he picking you up?” Lucy teased. 

(Y/N) huffed and revealed, “He didn’t ask. He wanted to sneak behind the food counters and steal the chicken nuggets.”

“Are you...an accomplice?”

“I convinced him out of doing it, thank god.”

“Yo.”

(Y/N) rolled her eyes and turned around to face her boyfriend.

“What do you want now?”

“Are you okay, love? You don’t look too well.”

“I’m fine.”

“Uh on Dragneel. What did you do now?” Gajeel grunted. 

Natsu studied her face and started to ask more questions when Gajeel dragged him away.

“Let’s go Romeo.”

(Y/N) glared at the back of his head before turning to her friends and pouting. Evergreen made another comment about Natsu’s idiocy while Lucy tried to convince her that he was definitely going to ask her. The (H/C) haired girl had started to give up hope at this point.

“Why don’t we go dress shopping after school today to cheer you up,” Lucy squealed. “It’ll be so much fun!”

\-----------------------------------------

(Y/N) had picked out her dress and carefully hung it up by her door. It was a burgundy off the shoulder dress with a laced up back. Her excitement buzzed through her before she remembered that she didn’t have a date yet.

\----------------------------------------

“I’m gonna have to go alone and then I’m breaking up with him.”

“Don’t worry, (Y/N). You still have time.”

“We have a week before the deadline to buy tickets.”

“She’s right, Lucy,” Evergreen agreed. “She’s fucked.”

\--------------------------------------

Natsu grabbed (Y/N) from the hall and pulled her into the janitor’s closet.

“Natsu, is there a good reason why I’m standing in front of a wet mop?”

“I wanted to ask you something.”

“In a janitor’s closet?”

“It’s important.”

Hope bubbled in her chest and she smiled brightly. Her dreams were once again crushed a second later.

“Do you think you could help me cut Happy’s nails after school? You know how much he hates it.”

(Y/N) spoke through gritted teeth, “Sure. Why not?”

“Great!”

Natsu kissed her cheek and disappeared into the crowded hallway. 

“Fuck this.”

\-----------------------------------------------

“Hey love, come here for a second.”

Evergreen and Lucy joined her.

“I have a question.”

Evergreen and Lucy smiled to each other and pushed (Y/N) to ask him what. Natsu pulled a pizza from behind him and gave his signature grin. 

“Want a slice?”

It seemed that this was her breaking point. She glared at him viciously and raised her voice.

“Pizza? You’re asking me about pizza?! Do you even know what’s coming in a week?”

“What’re you--”

“I’ve been waiting for a month for you to realize that you’re supposed to be asking me something and every single time you pull some other random question out of you ass and--”

“But it’s really good pizza.”

“Oh my god.”

Evergreen scoffed and Lucy sighed loudly. Natsu asked her again if she wanted some pizza, and (Y/N) started seething. 

“No Natsu. I don’t want any stupid pi--”

Natsu sheepishly opened the pizza box to reveal a large pizza with “PROM?” written in pepperoni. 

“Are you sure you don’t want any?”

(Y/N) let out a small ‘oh’ and her friends let out a breath of relief.

“You mean you actually remembered?”

Natsu chuckled and placed the pizza back on the table behind him, explaining that he never forgot and that he was trying to come up with a way to throw her off. 

“Well you certainly threw me off. I hope you know how frustrated this whole thing has been.”

Natsu just smiled wide.

“So what color are we doing this year?”

“Burgundy.” 

“Uh, what the hell is burgundy?”

(Y/N) giggled and explained that it was almost like a maroon.”

“That’s red right?”

“Yes Natsu. It’s red.”

\-----------------------------------

Prom night had arrived, and everyone rushed around to get last minute things that they had forgotten. Natsu picked (Y/N) up from her house, though not before her family had kidnapped him for 45 minutes worth of pictures. He joked about it once they were safely in the car.

“And this is why I told you to come early,” (Y/N) teased. 

“Good thing I did.”

They pulled up to the prom venue and Natsu rushed over to (Y/N)’s side to help her out of the car. 

“So are you gonna stick with me or is Lucy gonna kidnap you again?”

“Lucy is with Loke, so they’re gonna hang out most of the night.”

“And Evergreen?”

“Elfman.”

“Elfman? Really? Never woulda guessed.”

(Y/N) pulled him further towards the middle of the room and handed him some pretzels and a small sandwich. 

“You were gonna be over here all night anyway.”

Natsu took the pretzels and set them down on the table beside him before resting his hands on her hips and tugging her closer.

“Miss (L/N), you look wonderful tonight.”

“Why thank you, Mister Dragneel. You don’t look too bad yourself.”

Natsu went to lean closer to her, and (Y/N) smiled and leaned up to meet him halfway. The kiss was cut short by a voice scolding them.

“At least a foot apart, kiddies!”

They both looked over to see Mister Clive standing next to them with a stern look on his face. Natsu smiled mischievously before quickly pecking (Y/N)’s lips and pulling her away from an inevitable lecture. The (H/C) haired girl laughed quietly as she looked back at the teacher looking at them in disbelief. They came to a stop near the corner away from the door and grabbed a table to sit down. Natsu held her hand from across the table and realized something.

“Hey, you totally thought I forgot!”

“Well? Asking a week before prom isn’t really what you would expect.”

Natsu started pouting, but his smile resurfaced when (Y/N) grabbed his hand and pulled him over to the dancefloor. 

He jokingly asked, “May I have this dance?”

“I would be really offended if you didn’t after you followed me over here,” she jested back. 

The song changed to a slow song and Natsu laughed at the timing. He grabbed her left hand in his right one and rested his left hand on her waist. (Y/N) rested her right hand on his shoulder and smiled up at him.

“You still have no idea how to dance, do you?”

“Not a clue!”

They both laughed and decided to just sway as they talked. Natsu playfully looked around for the teachers and wiggled his eyebrows after he deemed that the coast was clear. He let go of her hand and waist to hold her face with both his hands and gently pressed his lips to hers. They both smiled into the kiss and broke the kiss with both of them laughing. 

“Hey you two! What did I say about distancing!”

“Oops. Looks like you and I are criminals tonight.”

(Y/N) giggled and grabbed his hand before pulling him back to the corner.

“Wouldn’t have it any other way."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Requests are OPEN.


	45. Depressed!Natsu x Reader: Scarf [requested]

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SPOILERS: TARTAROS ARC

SPOILERS: TARTAROS ARC

There was no surprise when Natsu locked himself away. Nobody was shocked when he barely ate. To make matters worse, Fairy Tail was disbanding. Natsu didn’t even get a chance to grieve his father’s death before the big announcement was made by Makarov. He felt lost, empty, flat. He felt nothing other than that hole in his heart that ached every time he recounted Igneel falling out of the sky. 

“Natsu--”

“I need to. I have to get stronger.”

“But you don’t have to go alone,” (Y/N) pressed.

Natsu barely looked at her eyes anymore, too shameful to look at her bright eyes with his dull ones. He continued to pack his bags and refused to say anything more. (Y/N) knew it was hard for him. After all this time, Natsu still hadn’t been able to talk with his father, and when he was finally given a chance, it got ripped away from him. Yes, he cried when it happened. And yes, he screamed. But he wasn’t doing that anymore. He didn’t allow himself to, and that made it worse. To have someone so precious torn away from him, not once but twice, created a crack in his heart that seemed impossible to mend. He stopped moving, his hands hovering over the clothes he had laid out on the bed. 

“Natsu?”

“You shouldn’t have to deal with me like this. Go with Lucy. She’s gonna be leaving soon.”

“I’m not leaving you. Not when you’re like this.”

“(Y/N)--”

“You made a promise to me. You said you would be here for me. And I want to do the same for you.”

“You shouldn’t have to--”

“You’re right. I don’t _have_ to. I _want_ to. You can’t shut everyone off.”

“I’m not,” he snapped. “I’m going to get stronger to protect them.”

(Y/N) sighed and took cautious steps towards him, not wanting to startle him. She stopped when she stood a couple feet behind him. His hand had made its way back to the pile of clothes and he continued to pack. She watched him carefully, watching for any sign of emotion. His mouth was pressed firmly into a new ever-present frown. She hadn’t seen him smile since, and it killed her inside. Nothing could’ve prepared Natsu for this, and (Y/N) had no clue how to help him other than being by his side. She wasn’t going to let him go alone, that was certain. He needed someone there for him. He couldn’t go through this alone. 

“I’m coming with you,” she firmly stated, leaving no room for discussion. 

Natsu’s hands turned to tight fists. He shook his head. (Y/N)’s eyes softened when she saw his shoulders fall. She stepped closer, stopping at his side. She wordlessly placed her hand on one of his tightly fisted hands. He flinched at first from the sudden contact, his eyes snapping up to hers when he was able to recognize the weight as hers. 

“You deserve to be happy. I’m not--”

“I think I would be more upset if I knew you were out there alone than if I came with you.”

Natsu went to say something, his mouth opening slightly but closing again quickly. (Y/N) let go of his hand and walked over to the hall closet. Clanging and banging could be heard before it got quiet. (Y/N) returned to the room, proudly holding up her bag that she had dug out. 

“It’s been a long time since we’ve used these, eh?” 

Natsu gave a regretful smile before turning back to his bag. 

“Sorry,” came his voice, just above a whisper. 

(Y/N)’s face fell again. She quickly shuffled over to the bed, standing beside him again. Her back landed next to his on the bed, and she quickly started to pack. 

“(N/N), you’re not coming.”

“Yes I am.”

“I--”

“And who’s gonna get you off the train if I don’t go? You’ll never get to training if you can’t get off the carts.”

“It’s gonna be for a long time,” he tried to excuse.

“I know.”

Natsu fell silent again. (Y/N) shifted so she was standing behind him and pressed her hands on the section between his shoulder blades. She slowly ran her hands over his shoulders, gently massaging. He relaxed against her, something he always did. A small smile graced her lips as she continued to press her hands into him. Her hands snaked around his waist, and she started to trace the muscles of his stomach. He shook slightly, a warning for what was about to come. She heard him start to choke up, Second later, she felt tears on her hands. (Y/N) rested her head against the middle of his spine and silently let him cry.

“Don’t hold it back, Natsu. You’ll just feel worse.”

“I…I just…”

He took in a broken deep breath and spoke with a level of vulnerability that (Y/N) had never witnessed before. 

“If you come, you won’t leave?”

“I promise. I’ll stay right by your side, just like you always are with me.”

He slowly turned around in her hold to face her and for the first time since it all happened, his eyes met hers. The pain in them was apparent, and her heart broke as she watched the once overly energetic and always smiling fire mage display such negative thoughts. She lifted her hands and wiped his tears with her thumbs. Sensing that he couldn’t bear to stand anymore, Natsu sat himself down at the edge of the bed. He leaned his head down and held them with his elbows on his knees. The dragon slayer continued to cry as he looked to the floor. 

(Y/N) stepped to his feet and kneeled down so their faces were level. Her hand found its place in his hair, and she gently carded through the pink strands. His shaking had gotten worse, so she stood up and pulled his head into her chest as she hugged him. 

“I know it’s hard. And I wish I could do something more to help, but I know that this is something that can’t be forgotten. It’s gonna hurt, but I want you to know that you can come to me for these things. You’re not alone, and I promise that I’ll be here if you need me.”

His shaking slowly lessened, and his breath soon steadied. (Y/N) let go of him and gave him a reassuring smile before retreating back into the living room. Natsu raised his head to try to stop her, but she quickly returned a few seconds later holding the piece of clothing that he had refrained from wearing since the incident. 

“I understand why you haven’t wanted to,” (Y/N) started as she held up the scarf, “but I think holding those dear to you close helps.”

He slowly held out his hand, accepting the gesture. (Y/N) made her way back over to him and slowly draped the scarf around his neck. His voice was crackled as he tried to speak. 

“You’re definitely way too good for me,” he tried to joke. 

(Y/N) smiled and giggled before hugging him again. 

“I love you, Natsu.”

She felt his arms circle around her and tug her closer. Her fingers ran through his hair again before he pulled away. He slowly pulled her down and laid his forehead on hers before he rolled his head so it was resting in between her neck and shoulder. (Y/N) felt pressure on her back, and she drifted closer to him, kissing the side of his head as she held him close. 

(Y/N) slowly rubbed his back as he sniffled. He took in a deep breath before letting go over her. She watched him as he stood up and gave a small smile. He returned her gesture with a kiss to the top of her head. She felt him wrap his arms around her once again, and she leaned into him, holding the back of his shirt as she hugged him back. 

“I love you too.”


	46. Natsu x Reader: Sick

It was here. The dreaded flu season was upon Magnolia. The first person to get sick? Natsu Dragneel. And who exactly was taking care of him? Well, no one at first because he had a tendency to be stubborn. Eventually he caved and recruited some help. From who? None other than (Y/N) (L/N). She was currently fighting Natsu as she tried to place a cloth over his head.

“Natsu, knock it off! You’ll feel so much better.”

“I’m a fire wizard, so it’s pointless to try to cool me down. Just leave it.”

“You’re gonna get worse if you overheat.”

“But I don’t overheat.”

“Put the damn cloth on.”

Natsu groaned and held out his hand for it before placing it on his head. 

“I have a headache,” he moaned as he shifted so he could look at her face.

“Yeah well you’re giving me one.”

\-----------------------------------------

Natsu made a face as he looked at the medicine. He stared at it intently, carefully watching the liquid move in the spoon.

“You just have to take a spoonful.”

“Will you hug me if I do?” He asked with hope in his voice.

“You’re sick, Dragneel. I’m not getting sick.”

The dragon slayer huffed and turned his head away from her. (Y/N) rolled her eyes.

“You need to get better.”

“My own girlfriend won’t even touch me. This is so cruel.”

“It’s just the flu, Natsu. You’ll be fine in a week or so.”

“A week?!”

“It’ll be fine, Natsu. Just let me help you.”

\---------------------------------------------

“(Y/N),” Natsu whined, “can you at least--”

“No Natsu. You’re sick. You’re sleeping alone.”

He groaned, pulling himself up from the couch and struggled to walk towards (Y/N). Once he reached her, he smiled innocently and pulled her into a hug.

“Natsu--”

“Please? I don’t want to.”

Her glare softened as she took in the pale and sweaty dragon slayer. He was shaking slightly, and his eyes were glossed over. She sighed and brought him back over to the couch, earning a frustrated groan.

“Come on (N/N), just for an hour. You surely won’t get anything that quick.”

She wordlessly tugged him towards the couch again, sitting down and tapping her lap. He smiled wide and laid his head in her lap and let out a contented breath. Fingers gently raked through the fire mage’s hair and about ten minutes later, Natsu was sound asleep. (Y/N) looked at his peaceful expression: his relaxed eyebrows, the slightly parted mouth, his twitching nose. It all added up to the Natsu that she fell in love with. As per usual when he’s sick (or dreaming, but he seemed to always have at least one incident when sick), Natsu’s hand was engulfed by flames, and he blindly flared it around, narrowly missing the (H/C) girl. She let out a ‘tsk’ before pinching his cheeks. The flames immediately went out as he squirmed away from her touch. 

“You’re such a handful,” she mumbled, but she couldn’t help but smile.

\-----------------------------------------

“I feel so much better today! I’m cured.”

(Y/N) took one look at Natsu and rolled her eyes. 

“Oh yeah? If you’re all better then why did you just throw up?”

Natsu’s smile faltered for a minute while he tried to come up with a quick excuse.

“Food poisoning.”

“The only thing you’ve eaten is toast.”

“Can I please go back to the guild now?”

“Natsu, I am not getting blamed for when you infect the entire guild. Now get back into bed.”

Said dragon slayer huffed and gave a sassy rebuttal before grabbing the blanket off the couch and stomping back to the bedroom. (Y/N) went back into the kitchen and put on a pot of water. She listened to Natsu’s constant shifting that was given away from the creaks on the bed and sighed. After a little while, (Y/N) entered the bedroom carrying a small container and a spoon. 

“Eat this.”

“What is it?”

“It’s just soup, Natsu.”

He took the container and looked at it suspiciously before sniffing it. Once he deemed it safe, he took the spoon from her and took some. 

“It should help. I know you haven’t been drinking many fluids.”

Natsu had finished about half of it before fatigue overcame him. He laid down, burying the side of his face into the pillow. His arms were held out to the side expectantly.

“No Natsu. You’re sick.”

“Come on, love. A few minutes won’t hurt.”

(Y/N) looked around and pinched her nose. 

“Natsu!”

Both wizards turned their gazes over to the door where Happy floated.

“Happy? What’s up little buddy?”

(Y/N) noticed the hope in his voice, deducting that it was probably because no one had gone near him all week. 

“I got you a really cool fish!”

“Really?!”

“Aye, sir!”

Natsu jumped out of bed to greet his friend and gladly took the fish from him, turning back towards (Y/N) and holding it up.

“We should totally cook this for dinner tonight. Don’t you think?”

“You can’t eat fish when you’re sick like this. It’ll just upset your stomach.”

\---------------------------------------------

“Are you okay?”

“My whole body aches.”

(Y/N) leaned down and kissed his forehead, silently cursing when she discovered his fever had come back. She walked into the bathroom, returning a few minutes later and urging him to get up. 

“Where’re you taking me? I’m too sore.”

She opened the bathroom door and pointed to the hot bath, explaining that the bath would help relieve his aches while also fighting off the fever. He gave his signature grin and grabbed her hand, pulling her further into the closet and taking out a floor towel. 

“Oh no you don’t, Dragneel. You’re still sick.”

“So now I have to waste this perfectly inviting bath on just me?” Natsu sassed.

(Y/N) gave him a blank look and a deadpan ‘yes’ before going to leave. Her wrist was gently caught before she could reach the doorway.

“No Natsu.”

“But you love baths.”

“Yes I do.”

“And you love me.”

She smiled fondly and nodded.

“Then you have two things you love sitting right in front of you, so why not enjoy them?”

“Because you’re sick. And you don’t want me sick. I get all grumpy and whiny.”

Natsu huffed and crossed his arms, refusing to get into the bath alone.

“...Just like you, apparently.”

“Quick bath?”

“No.”

“ _Really_ quick bath?”

“No.”

“This is so cruel. Will you sit here with me then?”

“What’s gotten into you? You’re never this clingy.”

“Yeah well you’re never this anti-Natsu so I think it’s justified.”

(Y/N) sighed and put down the toilet cover, taking a seat on the closed lid. Natsu smiled and quickly stripped before sinking into the bath. There was a loud and relaxed sigh as the warmth of the water embraced him. 

“So when are we going on our next request?”

“When you’re better,” was (Y/N)’s simple reply.

She could hear him grumble something unintelligible, but chose to ignore it. In place of a lecture, (Y/N) closed her eyes and enjoyed the warmth of the streamy air. Leaning back on the toilet, she took in the sound of the water and the exhaust fan. 

“Hey love, are you sure you don’t--”

“You’re sick.”

Natsu let out a frustrated growl.

\----------------------------------------

“I’m all better!”

(Y/N) took one look at the cheery pink haired wizard and raised an eyebrow. He started moving with his usual energy and smiling wide. Suspicious, the (H/C) girl stepped close to him and put a hand on his forehead. Natsu puffed out his chest proudly, pointing out that his fever was gone, so _surely_ he was better. (Y/N) rolled her eyes and guided him into the living room. He was instructed to sit on the couch, which he did so quickly. 

“You still have to stay here.”

“What? Why? I’m all better, so let’s go back to the guild and--”

“You’re supposed to be fever free for a whole day before you go out. Without medications.”

“Well then you have to stay with me,” he stated sternly.

(Y/N) smiled and stepped towards him, running her fingers lightly through his hair.

“Don’t worry. I’m not going anywhere.”

\----------------------------------------------

_“Please?”_

“No.”

“But I’m tired.”

“So go take a nap like you said you were.”

Natsu made his way over to his girlfriend and took hold of her hands. She gently squeezed back, but went to pull away. He kept a firm but gentle grip on her hands and pulled her towards him, wrapping his arms around her and trapping her in.

“Natsu!”

He laughed mischievously and picked her up before running into the bedroom. 

“Natsu, I swear to god if you get me sick--”

“You’re taking a nap with me. No buts!”

(Y/N) rolled her eyes, but she settled in a couple seconds later. If she was being honest with herself, this week had been tough on her too. She didn’t have the flu, which she was thankful for, but Natsu did, which meant that she wouldn’t be able to do what they usually did. Afternoon naps, dinner together (with Happy), enjoying baths, having long hugs. The list went on. So she relaxed under his embrace and forgot about all the precautions that she was trying to take. 

She could feel his bright smile. It gave off an easily recognizable aura afterall. (Y/N) felt Natsu shift slightly, and soon she felt the blankets being pulled over them. She turned around to face him and scooted closer, loosely gripping the back of his shirt and laying her head on his chest. A soft chuckle sounded from the dragon slayer as he watched her start to fall asleep. 

“Goodnight love.”

He got a small mumble in response before they both drifted off to sleep.

\------------------------------------------

“I’m better now!”

(Y/N) glared at him and crossed her arms. Natsu smiled brightly and walked into the kitchen to get some food. He returned with a couple pieces of toast.

“Here you go, love. Hopefully this will stay down.”

She snatched the toast away from him and angrily took bites out of it. The dragon slayer sat down next to her and nuzzled his nose into her cheek.

“I cannot _believe_ I let you get me sick!”

“Don’t worry, love. You’ll be all better soon and then we can go on a request!”

He lifted his arm and wrapped it around her shoulders, tugging her closer to him. This earned a whine from (Y/N).

“Go isolate or something.”

“See, there’s a thing that’s different between us. You tried your very best to not get sick, but I’m not all that determined to do the same thing.”

“What are you talking about?”

Natsu kissed her cheek and moved so they were facing each other on the couch. He grabbed her arms and raised them so her hands rested on his shoulders. A devilish smile appeared on his face as he leaned closer to her and connected their lips.

“Natsu! You’re gonna get sick again!”

“I love you too,” he laughed.


	47. Natsu x Reader: Revelation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> BIG SPOILERS: TARTAROS, AVATAR, ALVAREZ ARCS

**BIG SPOILERS: TARTAROS, AVATAR, ALVAREZ ARCS**

“(Y/N), get out of here. It’s not safe.”

The (H/C) haired girl refused to move, stubbornly standing close behind Natsu. He looked back to her and tried to coax her into leaving with Happy, but she stood with her feet planted in the ground. 

“I’m very glad you were able to find someone, Natsu. It warms my heart.”

Natsu tensed and stood protectively in front of her, his arms stretched off to the side to hold her back from the danger that the black haired wizard had posed. Zeref. He was behind all of it. (Y/N)’s eyes slipped away from him and tried to find the book, E.N.D. There was no denying that E.N.D. would pose a greater threat than the others they had fought. He was, afterall, the most powerful demon that Zeref ever made. To be honest, she was scared shitless that he would come out, but she stayed nonetheless. Natsu looked back to her and tried to get her to go again, but her hands gripped the back of his coat. He sighed and looked to his arm where the dragon mark was fading. 

“My name is Zeref Dragneel. I’m your older brother.”

His words were soft, so casual. The two Fairy Tail wizards froze. (Y/N) slowly raised her eyes to look at Natsu’s face and saw that he was just as shocked as she was. He denied it outright in typical Natsu fashion, but Zeref started to explain their lives and how he had died along with his parents. (Y/N) tried to listen to whatever he was saying, but she couldn’t follow along with all the time details. She knew about the dragons, but was Natsu really from 400 years in the past? And Zeref’s brother? It surely couldn’t be. Natsu was far too caring, too genuine, too--

“That’s who you are, Natsu. Etherious Natsu Dragneel...E.N.D.”

(Y/N)’s eyes widened before she pushed past Natsu’s hold and glared at the Black Wizard. 

“Listen here you asshole. Stop trying to turn Fairy Tail against--”

Zeref had shot a hole in the book that lay on the ground, and (Y/N)’s head whipped around when she heard Natsu scream. She knelt down to see if he was okay. He was struggling, clutching his chest like he had been struck. It seemed to piece together for her in that moment. 

“N-Natsu?”

Zeref started to explain how he went to Igneel for help, and that Igneel couldn’t defeat him simply out of love for him. Natsu stood back up and glared at the Black Wizard. (Y/N)’s head was spinning. She couldn’t think of anything else other than his words that echoed over and over again in her mind. E.N.D., the thing that brought Tartaros into action. They were all trying to follow their “master’s” will. E.N.D. The very being that had been designed by Zeref himself to be the most powerful. A killing machine. Destruction. Death. Evil. Not only that, her mind flashed to Gray. Deliora. He was made by the same wizard that made Deliora. Her fists tightened. 

Natsu looked at Zeref wide-eyed as he attempted to process the information. He turned back to (Y/N) to see that she had tears in her eyes. She had fallen on her butt on the ground, her eyes darting back and forth from Zeref to the dragon slayer. 

“(Y/N)--”

She refused to look at him, opting to stare at the book instead. They were, afterall, the same thing, right? It seemed to be the only form of Natsu that she could handle looking at in that moment. He could see the shaking, and that killed him inside. He could tell. She was petrified, angry, confused. All the emotions he swore he would never let her feel. And it was him that brought them on. His gaze turned deadly and he called his flames. Zeref had then explained that once he was killed, Natsu would die as well. Natsu seemed to not listen, and he rushed at him. 

Happy and (Y/N) seemed to have the same idea, as they both grabbed Natsu, burning themselves in the process. (Y/N) hissed as her skin burned, but she refused to let go. Of both his arm and his spirit. 

“Please don’t,” was all she said, her voice crackling.

“I’ve made up my mind. I’m here to defeat him.”

Her hands continued to burn as she held onto him.

“Let go, (N/N),” came Natsu’s calm request. 

Her grip only tightened, the stinging sensation pulsing through her body. 

“(Y/N)--”

“I won’t! You promised me that you would always come back home!”

His flames were called off, realizing that she wasn’t letting go and preventing her hands to be completely damaged. 

“You have to let me do this. It’ll be safer for everyone.”

“No! You can’t die before Gray yells at you. And Lucy too. And Elfman and Erza and Mira and--”

He turned around and gently took hold of her singed hands. Natsu pressed his lips into a thin line when he saw how bad of shape her hands were in. 

“Natsu,” Zeref spoke again, tears in his eyes, “this is your last chance to stop me.”

The dragon slayer went to face him again when both Happy and (Y/N) grabbed him and started to pull him further away from Zeref. 

“Will you two knock it off?” Natsu complained. “It has to be done.”

“You’re not breaking your promise to me,” (Y/N) snapped. “You’re staying right with me and with Fairy Tail.”

“You’re afraid of me. What good will that do?”

“I might be afraid of E.N.D., but I will never be afraid of Natsu Dragneel.”

“That makes no sense!”

“Yes it does. Because I’ve known you for a long time. Well...I guess not a long time to you since you’re like 400 years old or whatever, but still! I know that you would never mean to harm anyone. You’re not a demon. You’re a Fairy Tail wizard!”

“(Y/N) is right, Natsu!” Happy yelled. “You’re our friend and we won’t let you die. You’re coming back to the guild with us!”

Zeref watched, bewildered that they had stopped Natsu’s attack. He looked at the girl and narrowed his eyes. Natsu felt his stare and jumped in front of (Y/N) again.

“Don’t you fucking dare.”

He felt his shirt being pulled again, and it was Happy trying to lift both him and (Y/N) to fly away. He was struggling, but he managed to get them off the ground. Natsu watched Zeref intently as he was being taken away. They eventually landed, Happy’s wing’s disappearing and both wizards being dropped suddenly. 

“(Y/N), you’re heavy.”

“Hey!”

Natsu picked himself up and turned behind him, staring off into the distance with a serious look on his face. He felt small arms wrap around his waist, and a pressure was put on his back where (Y/N) rested her head.

“You guys shouldn’t have done that. We probably won’t get another opportunity like that.”

(Y/N) roughly spun him around to look at him and pointed a finger at him.

“You said you would never leave us behind,” (Y/N) accused. “You said that right before you almost snuck away a year ago to train and you almost did it again you asshole!”

“(Y/N), you’re not--”

“I’m thinking very clearly. You’re the one not thinking clearly. Think of the guild. They’re your real family, not some crinkly old guy like that.”

Natsu chuckled and brushed her hair away from her eyes.

“You’re really something else, you know that?”

She smiled before smacking his arm, earning a loud ‘ow!’ from the dragon slayer. 

“What was that for?!”

“So when were you going to tell me that I’ve been dating a very old 400-year-old man, huh?”

“...Huh?”

“Yeah, or that you’re secretly some mega powerful book demon. When was that gonna come up?”

“What? You think I knew all that?! (Y/N)!”

Happy joined in, “Natsu, you didn’t even tell me that you knew who your family was!”

“You guys!” Natsu shouted.

He felt another weight on him, looking down to see that (Y/N) was hugging him tightly with her head buried in his chest. He could feel the tears dripping on his shirt. His eyes softened, and he raised his hands up to gently stroke through her hair. 

“You’re okay.”

“But will you be?”

“Will you stay by my side?” Natsu playfully asked. 

She hugged him tighter and nodded into him.

“Then we’ll both be just fine.”

She knew in that moment. Natsu was E.N.D., but she knew he would never do anything to harm her or the others he cared deeply for. Scared? Hell yeah. But the only thing they could do was move forward.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> requests are OPEN.


	48. Nastu x Blind!Reader: Stars [requested]

Everyone told (Y/N) that she could never be a wizard because she couldn’t see. Her parents discouraged her from trying, saying that the world was dangerous for wizards. She had refused to listen to anyone. It was her dream to join a guild and go on adventures with other wizards, and that’s exactly what she did when she joined Fairy Tail. Makarov had welcomed her in with open arms, and everyone was so nice to her. 

“(Y/N), look at this!” 

Lucy sighed loudly and smacked Natsu on the head. 

“Seriously flame brain?” Gray spoke. 

“I knew you were dumb but I think I was giving you too much cred--”

“That’s really cool, Natsu.”

“That’s what I said too,” Natsu agreed. “I found it over by my house and I thought you’d like it.”

(Y/N) smiled and made her way over to where Natsu’s voice was coming from. He smiled wide and handed her the flower.

“What color is it?”

“It’s (H/C), like your hair.”

Natsu told her to hold out her hands and he placed the flower in her palms. 

“So anyway,” Natsu continued, “there’s this really cool request that I saw that you would love to take.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. It’s some type of baking or taste testing for different magic dishes.”

“Magic dishes?” Lucy questioned, intrigued.

“An old mage wanted to try different recipes that included magic and she wanted someone to try it. I figured (Y/N) and I could go. She said she was cooking cupcakes.”

“Oh that’s great!” (Y/N) excitedly responded. “How much does it pay?”

“70,000 Jewel. She said that we could go around noon.”

(Y/N) sniffed the flower again and smiled. She followed the sound of Natsu’s footsteps out of the guild and started to walk through the town. The breeze blew around them, the different smells of Magnolia swimming into (Y/N)’s senses. After a couple more minutes of walking, she stopped and tugged on Natsu’s sleeve. 

“Can we go get an ice cream first?”

Natsu looked behind him and chuckled. 

“You really do the town inside out, dontcha?”

“The kids are laughing over there, and there's a bunch of parents trying to convince them to wait. Plus the wheels on the cart make a very distinct sound.”

“That’s super cool, (N/N).”

“You have heightened senses as well. Why is it so surprising?”

“Because everyone says I can’t really use them,” Natsu sheepishly replied. “I can recognize a sound, but I can never pinpoint what it is. Same with smell. But you’re super awesome and you can figure out exactly what’s around you.”

(Y/N) giggled quietly and placed her hand in front of her, testing where Natsu was standing. She stopped moving them when she could feel his body heat radiating off him, and she reached down to hold his hand.

“Thanks for bringing me.”

“See? We’re getting paid to date. And people say I’m not smart.”

“And we get to eat cupcakes!” (Y/N) cheered. “It’s perfect. Do you think the woman will act weird around me though?”

“Why would she?” Natsu asked, confused. 

“Natsu, I can’t see. Remember? People always act differently around me. Like they’re too afraid to say something.”

“Who cares? Don’t let other people get you down. You can see the world just as well as they can. Besides, I’m pretty sure you can see things more clearly around here even without sight.” 

(Y/N) caught the sound of heavy footsteps running behind them, and she jumped out of the way just in time to miss a kid running into her. The kid slammed into Natsu, who stumbled back a little. The little boy quickly apologized before running again. 

“See?” Natsu joked. 

They made their way to the woman’s house and started to taste the food when (Y/N) held up one of the cupcakes towards Natsu.

“What does this one look like?”

“It’s chocolate. There’s yellow frosting with chocolate sprinkles in the form of stars.”

“Stars? How many points?”

“Five of course,” the woman interjected. 

(Y/N) smiled and sniffed the cupcake.

“Is this cream cheese frosting?”

“Ah, you have a great nose little lady. It’s my special cream cheese frosting.”

The (H/C) haired girl stuck her tongue out and took a bit of frosting, turning to Natsu and telling him to do the same. 

“So what makes this a magic cupcake?” Natsu questioned. “It tastes like a normal one.”

“Happiness.”

“Happiness?” Natsu and (Y/N) responded in unison. 

“The secret magic ingredient is happiness.”

\-------------------------------

“That was certainly different,” (Y/N) teased. 

“It’s night now.”

“Is it dark?”

“Mostly, but there are five light lacrimas posted on the side of the street, so it’s a little lighter.”

“What color are the lacrimas?”

“Yellow and white, but the yellow kinda looks orange when you squint.”

They walked in comfortable silence for a couple minutes, taking in the cool night air and the sounds of the town settling down for the night. (Y/N) stopped and asked if they could go to the park and look at the stars, eliciting a small laugh from the fire dragon slayer. 

“If you really want to,” Natsu teased, “I think we can find a spot.”

“Can it be next to the thick tree with the white trunk? The one with orange leaves on top that fade into green on the bottom?”

“Which one is that again?”

“It had twelve branches, though you said one of them looked like it was going to fall down.”

“Oh! That one!”

Natsu grabbed her hand and quickly led them over to the named tree. They sat down by the trunk, (Y/N) leaning into Natsu’s side and wrapping her arms around him. 

“How does the sky look?”

“Clear. Well, other than three clouds. One of them looks like a dog. The others don’t really have a shape because the wind is blowing them in whisps.”

“Can you see stars?”

“There’s a whole bunch. There’s a big clump of them off in the direction of the green and red tree.”

(Y/N) leaned up and kissed his cheek.

“Is the brightest star here tonight?”

“What are you talking about, (N/N)? You’re sitting right here.”

“Very funny, Natsu. I mean the Pole Star.”

Natsu laughed lowly and took her hand in his, guiding it so it pointed in the direction of the star. She smiled wide and sat up straight. She turned her head up towards the sky and breathed in deeply. 

“What are you smelling?”

“Someone is having a campfire, and I can hear a family of birds in the tree above us.”

She felt a weight on her shoulder. Natsu’s nose had touched her cheek as he whispered into her ear.

“You wanna know something?”

(Y/N) hummed and grabbed his hands. He kissed her temple and and slowly spoke, a teasing tone in his voice. 

“Your clothes don’t match.”

(Y/N) gasped loudly and felt her clothes, frantically speaking, “But Happy picked them out this morning! He said they went together. Why would he do that?”

“I mean green and blue do compliment each other, but not when the blue is so bright and the green is more like a lime.”

“No wonder why Gajeel was talking about limes,” she muttered. “I’m gonna get back at Happy if it’s the last thing I do.”

“I mean, we can always change that.”

“Natsu!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Requests are OPEN.


	49. Natsu x Reader: Arm

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger Warning: explosions, amputation.

(Y/N) paced nervously as she waited outside the infirmary door. Porlyusica had forced her to stay outside while she worked, and she was a wreck. Nothing could’ve prepared Team Natsu for the battle, but this? To say it was, well, _unexpected_ would say the least. The request started off normal enough. It was easy: locate and apprehend a group of thieves and return the stolen items. It was in Acalypha Town, so they figured that the thieves would be relatively easy to find. In fact, Erza was convinced that they weren’t even wizards from the evidence they gathered. 

They were wrong. They were so wrong. They had spotted the thieves in the nearby forest and decided to follow them at a distance. 

_Once the group had followed them deep enough into the forest, one of the thieves turned around and cast an explosion spell at them, sending multiple trees crashing down around them. Team Natsu quickly avoided the trees, but the thief caught (Y/N) while she tried to balance herself, sending a blast towards her. (Y/N)’s eyes widened, realizing that she didn’t have enough time to dodge it. She closed her eyes tight and prepared for the deadly hit when she heard a high pitched scream from Wendy._

_“Mister Natsu!”_

_(Y/N)’s eyes snapped open when she heard the explosion go off. She looked on in horror as Natsu fell to the ground, bleeding from his shoulder down. He wasn’t moving. Erza had dealt with the thief with help from Gray, Lucy and Virgo while Wendy and (Y/N) tended to the fire mage._

_“Natsu? Can you hear me?”_

_He stayed silent. Wendy quickly started her healing spell to try to stop the bleeding. She had managed to clot the blood, and they both saw that his arm was badly damaged. The thieves were tied up, and Erza went to call for someone to take them to the authorities while the rest of them started back towards the guild._

_“Happy,” (Y/N) addressed, “do you think you can carry Natsu back?”_

_“Aye, sir. Will he be okay?”_

_Wendy had stayed silent, but she gave a small nod. Happy grabbed Natsu by the back of his coat and darted back towards Magnolia. The remainder of the wizards all ran towards the train to catch up._

(Y/N) continued to pace in front of the infirmary, which seemed to increase her anxiety. 

“Child, please calm down,” Makarov soothed. “It’ll be alright.”

“But what if it’s not? I was supposed to be the one to take the hit. _Me._ It’s gonna be my fault if he…if he--”

“You mustn’t think of those things.”

“Natsu will be okay,” Happy stated confidently. “He’s great at recovering.”

“Yeah, Happy’s right,” Gray agreed. “That guy doesn’t know when to give up.”

The door slowly opened, revealing Porlyusica wearing her usual scowl when people were around. Everyone looked at her apprehensively. She sighed and waved Makarov over to speak with him privately. (Y/N) had inched towards the open door and made it just centimeters away from the threshold when Porlyusica turned to glare at her, demanding her to return to her spot. (Y/N) laughed nervously before stiffly walking back over to the rest of Fairy Tail. 

Porlyusica continued to speak with the master. (Y/N) was studying his face intently, searching for any hint of emotion that would hint at what was going on. His eyes widened at his friend’s words, causing (Y/N) to gasp loudly. 

“No no no,” she stammered. 

Makarov and Porlyusica stopped speaking and turned back to the rest of the guild. 

“What is it, Gramps?” (Y/N) spoke nervously. “How bad is it?”

Porlyusica spoke up, saying that there was a lot of damage through the loss of blood. She said that the explosion had severed the nerves and tendons in the arm. 

“Which means that there was really no other choice.”

“What do you mean? What was the choice? Is he gonna be okay? What happens to the nerves? Will his--”

“Silence child,” came her annoyed reply. “There was no choice but to amputate his arm.”

Everyone gasped and froze, but (Y/N) darted inside the infirmary before anyone could stop her. She found where he was resting and peeked around the corner to see him sleeping peacefully. Tears started to pool in her eyes, and soon she was letting out loud sniffles. 

“Natsu,” she whispered, but she got no reply. 

She slid around the corner and stepped a couple feet closer to him.

“Natsu,” she tried a little louder.

When she got no response, she stepped right to the side of his bed and poked his cheek. 

“Natsu!”

He stirred and looked around before his eyes landed on the (H/C) haired girl. 

“Are you okay?” He groggily asked. 

“Me? Are you?”

“Good as new,” he happily spoke. 

“I’m so so sorry. I never meant for this to happen. If I wasn’t so easily distracted then this wouldn’t have happened. I have no idea how I’m ever gonna make it up to you. I completely--”

“What are you talking about?”

“Um...your arm?”

“What’s wrong with my--”

He cut himself off when he looked at the bandage wrapped around the place where his forearm connected to the rest of his body. 

“Oh.”

“Let me know what I have to do and I’ll do it. My stupid brain wouldn’t let me move and now you--”

“Relax, (N/N). It’s not like I died.”

“Yeah but--”

“Besides, this totally means that I can convince Asuka that someone stole it.”

“I really don’t think you understand the severity of this situation,” she muttered. 

“I’ll be fine. As long as my friends are okay, then I’m okay.”

(Y/N) started to choke up, and she flung herself at him when he tried to sit up on the bed. He let out a small ‘oof’ from the impact but laughed softly when he felt her squeeze him tight. 

“I promise that you can have all my food for a month. And I’ll even go fishing with you before sunrise like you always ask. And I’ll--”

Natsu used his good arm to rub her back comfortingly. 

“How are you so brave?” (Y/N) pushed out through her whimpers.

“Hmm,” Natsu played off, “I mean I am the son of a dragon, so I’m pretty tough.”

“Are you okay though? Like are you really okay or are you just pretending?”

“I’m fine. But I think I am gonna need some help figuring out this whole one arm thing. Feel like being my eating arm?” He teased. 

“I’ll do anything to help. I promise.”

He gave her his signature grin and leaned back. After a few seconds, he got out of the bed and walked towards the door. 

“Watch this,” he said as he smiled devilishly. “Asuka, come look! I totally forgot to read and now they took my arm away.”

“NATSU!” Everyone shouted.


	50. Natsu x Hurt!Reader: Yarn

It was no surprise that Natsu was overprotective over his girlfriend. She wasn’t a wizard, and she always seemed to get in trouble. He would always tell her that he would go with her everywhere, saying that she needed him there to protect her. 

“We’ll go later. I have to go on a job.”

“How long is it?”

“They said it should only be about an hour or two, and it’s in the next town over, so it shouldn’t be too much longer than that.”

“Well I guess I could go myself instead of waiting for you. It’s not that far.”

“You’re not going without me.”

“But why? It’s really close by and--”

“You can’t handle yourself. If something came at you then you’d be done.”

(Y/N) looked up at him and tried to defend, “But I promise that I’ll--”

“You can say you’re gonna be careful, but you always seem to get into trouble. And then I have to come to save you. So let’s just cut out the middle part this time.”

(Y/N) looked down at the ground and played with her fingers. She looked close to tears, but she held them back. 

“But I just wanted to get--”

“Listen, I’m not rushing back from a job to try to save your ass again. Just wait and we’ll--”

“You always do this,” (Y/N) whimpered, finally letting tears fall. “You always talk to me like I’m some defenseless child.”

“It’s safer that you don’t go alone.”

“Stop doing that! Stop talking to me like I’m weak!”

“Because you’re not able to defend yourself with magic. And you can’t really defend yourself anyway,” Natsu stated simply before turning around to get his slightly torn scarf.

(Y/N) stood there in shock before her nose started to sting and tears fell. She quickly wiped them away before Natsu re-entered the room. 

“I’ll be back,” he waved off. 

(Y/N) stopped fighting the tears and walked to her room and curled up on her bed. She sniffled and gasped for breath as she cried. 

“Am I really...that weak?”

She cried for a half hour before she forced her tears back and stood up, grabbing her basket and running to the train station. She decided to take the train to her destination, realizing that the town was too far to walk. After arriving in Acalypha Town, she walked to a local merchant shop. She spotted the special yarn and smiled.

“There you are,” (Y/N) whispered to the bundle of yarn. “This is sure to be enough.”

She looked up to the merchant with sparkling eyes and quickly purchased the yarn and waving her goodbyes. 

“Well I better head back to Magnolia. Natsu is definitely back by now and he’ll probably be upset that I left without him,” (Y/N) fretted before looking down at the yarn and smiling, continuing, “But he’ll be so happy when he sees this!”

She started back towards the train and sat in the back.

“I’ll show him. I can do this myself. I’m not weak.”

The train arrived in Magnolia and (Y/N) jumped off before skipping towards the town. She looked at the food market and decided to get a couple fish for dinner. As she was walking back towards the forest, a hand was placed on her shoulder. She turned around and saw a woman with dark green hair and yellow eyes. 

“Excuse me,” the woman started, “but could you show me where the local inn is? I’ve been looking everywhere.”

“Of course!” (Y/N) chirped. “I’ll walk you there.”

The woman walked with (Y/N) through the town when she turned down the wrong street. (Y/N) followed her to tell her that it wasn’t the right way, but when she turned down the street, she saw a small group of people staring at her. The woman smiled devilishly and snapped her fingers, sending the others towards her. They quickly grabbed (Y/N) and one of them threw her over his shoulder, causing (Y/N) to drop the fish and yarn. She tried screaming, but the woman cast a spell to silence her. Another spell was cast on her, and everything went dark. 

\------------------------------------------

“Why did you grab me like that? What’s going on?”

“We are Toad Claw and--”

“Do toads even have claws?” (Y/N) interrupted.

“You seem to be not understanding the situation,” the woman laughed. “You’re close to who we want to see hurt, so luring him here is the best idea.”

“Well can you at least let me out of these chains? They’re really hurting my--”

She was kicked in the stomach before she could finish. 

“Now let me ask you: where is the dragon slayer?”

“I’m not telling you.”

“Well then I guess I have no choice,” she drawled before turning to a tall man with brown hair. “Reggie, do what you must.”

The man smirked and grabbed (Y/N) by the throat and slammed her against the wall behind her. She choked for breath and her face twisted in fear when she saw that he was holding a sword. Reggie laughed maniacally before piercing her thigh with the sword.

“Remember, don’t kill her. Do whatever else you want.”

The man ripped the sword out of her leg and set it on fire. (Y/N)’s eyes widened.

“W-what are you doing?”

Reggie gave no answer other than an evil smile. He turned the sword to the side and pressed it against her stomach, burning her. She screamed in pain and ended up passing out again.

\---------------------------------------------

“Say,” the woman, Thalia, started, “I’m feeling nice, so I’m gonna show you what’s happening with that dragon slayer.”

She placed a lacrima in front of (Y/N), who was sweating profusely, covered in blood and littered with bruises. (Y/N) tugged on the chains again, but all she did was aggravate the marks on her wrists and ankles. The lacrima started televising.

\------------------------------------------ 

Natsu had returned from the job a day late and opened the house door, expecting (Y/N) to greet him like she always did. When he was met with silence, he sighed and started walking towards the bedrooms. 

“I know I was being kinda harsh earlier,” Natsu spoke out loud so (Y/N) could hear him, “so I wanted to apologize. I’ll take you to Acalypha Town now if you want.”

He still got no answer. Thinking that she was asleep where she usually was, he opened his bedroom door, revealing an empty room. He raised an eyebrow and stepped in front of her own room door, knocking lightly. When he got no answer, he slowly opened the door, revealing yet another empty room. 

“What the hell?”

He looked all around the house, but he couldn’t find her. 

“Did she really go there without me anyway? What a pain. What was she thinking? I told her I would take her and she goes anyway.”

Natsu asked Happy to fly him to Acalypha Town. He looked around the marketplace and asked around about her. One merchant told him that she was there the day prior. 

“Do you know where she went?”

“She said she needed to get back to Magnolia before someone found her missing,” the merchant explained with a smile. “I’m guessing you’re the one she was talking about?”

Natsu gave a nod and headed back towards the train station. When he saw that she wasn’t there, he asked the people around the train. One woman revealed that she had seen (Y/N) board the train the day prior as well. Deducing that she was back in Magnolia, Natsu sighed and Happy flew him back. 

“Natsu,” Happy started, “is (Y/N) okay?”

“Of course she is. She’s just upset.”

They had arrived in Magnolia and checked the house one more time before walking in the street of Magnolia. 

“Maybe an inn?”

He travelled towards the inns, but no one working there remembered her coming in. He raised an eyebrow and continued walking when he caught her scent. He rolled his eyes and turned the corner to a street, but his eyes widened when he saw a basket of fish and yarn laying on the ground. He rushed over to the basket and panicked when he smelled her scent coming off them.

Fire started appearing around him as his anger rose, “Fuck!”

He ran around the town and asked random people if they had seen her, but none of them admitted to seeing her anywhere. He rushed all around Magnolia and came up empty at every turn. His nose twitched and he silently thanked his dragon slayer senses and started running in the direction of the scent, leading him away from Magnolia. 

\----------------------------------------------

“Isn’t that precious? He’s searching all around for you. Joke’s on him. He’ll never find you!”

(Y/N) coughed up more blood as Reggie kicked her in the back. 

“Now,” Thalia spoke, “tell us where he is.”

“I don’t know...what you’re talking about.”

Thalia snapped her fingers again and Reggie sliced her arm, causing (Y/N) to hiss. 

\----------------------------------------

“Where the fuck is she?”

He had a bad feeling, which wasn’t helping his panicked state. He ran all throughout the area and couldn’t find her anywhere.

“Come on, love. Where are you?”

\----------------------------

It had been a week since she was kidnapped, and the torture hadn’t stopped. She hadn’t eaten in six days, and she barely got any water. The chains were starting to dig into her skin, and she had large gashes all over her. 

“Say,” Thalia started, “are you ready to tell us where he is? I’ve been waiting for your answer, and quite frankly I’m running out of patience.”

“You’re making me watch him on this thing, so shouldn’t you know where he is?” (Y/N) spat.

Reggie kicked her in the stomach for her sarcastic reply, and (Y/N) groaned. Suddenly, the door to the hideout was aggressively kicked down, revealing a pissed off Natsu. 

“Reggie!”

At Thalia’s command, Reggie stabbed (Y/N) in her chest, causing her to cough out blood and fall over, her chains catching her. She could sense that something in Natsu snapped, and suddenly the whole room was filled with fire. She heard screaming, but her senses were quickly fading. Everything went quiet, aside from the sound of loud footsteps. She felt herself be picked up, and she heard the snap of the chains. 

“Hey,” Natsu started, “hey! Come on, you gotta stay awake.”

“Natsu?”

“It’s okay. I’m here. Can you stand?”

(Y/N) continued to cough blood and wasn’t able to respond. Natsu’s stomach twisted in realization. 

“You gotta keep your eyes open, okay?” Natsu asked weakly. 

“I...I can’t. It’s too painful.”

“Just do it for me, okay? And for Happy. And for all of Fairy Tail.”

“I got some yarn, but they made me drop it,” (Y/N) tried to joke. 

“I saw,” Natsu weakly chuckled. “Were you planning on making another blanket?”

“N-no,” (Y/N) forced out. “It was...to fix your sc-scarf.”

He tightened his hold on her and stood up. He could hear her ragged breaths.

“Natsu? Can we...go home now?”

Natsu stiffly nodded and started to walk out of the hideout. 

“I-I’m sorry for...worrying y-you.”

“Don’t even worry about it,” Natsu whispered to her. 

“You w-were...right,” (Y/N) said as she started to cry. “I always get i-into trouble. And y-you...had to save me.”

“I’m the one who should be apologizing. I was way too harsh earlier and I just want you to know that I lo--”

(Y/N) coughed again and seemed to be slipping in and out of consciousness. Natsu’s heart dropped, and he started sprinting back towards Magnolia. 

“You’re gonna be okay,” Natsu whispered. “You have to be.”

(Y/N) weakly wrapped her arms around Natsu’s neck and leaned into his chest as he ran. He had reached Magnolia when he felt her grip fall. He looked down to see that she was still breathing. Just barely. He burst through the guildhall doors.

“Well it’s about time you came back, pyro. It’s been over a week--”

He immediately stopped talking when he saw (Y/N) in his arms covered in blood and bruised. 

“Wendy!”

“Mister Natsu, what’s wrong?” Wendy asked as she stepped through the crowd. “Is that...miss (Y/N)?”

Wendy immediately began treatment, trying to heal the most serious wounds. Her hands stopped glowing after a few seconds. Natsu went to ask what she was doing, but his heart dropped when he saw Wendy look up at him with tears pouring from her eyes. 

“Wendy?”

She slowly shook her head. Everyone looked down as their own tears started to form. Makarov weaved through the crowd and stood in front of Natsu and Wendy. 

“Natsu--”

“The last thing she’ll remember me saying,” Natsu cried, “is that I called her weak. She went alone because of me. She was in that town to get me yarn to fix my scarf. I didn’t get there in time.”

“You can’t blame yourself.”

“Why not?! It’s my fucking fault!”

His eyes drifted down to the person he had sworn his life to, taking in her pale skin and blood-covered chest. 

“I’m so sorry. I’m so so sorry.”


	51. Natsu x Reader: Encounter [requetsed]

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SPOILER: GMG ARC (kind of)

(Y/N) wasn’t a wizard, but she absolutely loved the Grand Magic Games, even if she would never be able to take part. Every year, the streets of Crocus would be packed with people from all over Fiore that traveled to the capital to see wizards from all over compete. (Y/N)’s excitement had flared up especially this year, as she had heard the rumors that the group of missing Fairy Tail wizards had returned and were competing in the Games. She counted down the days until the start, and she patiently waited in the stands while the teams were introduced. Her eyes sparkled when she saw Fairy Tail entering the arena. Natsu Dragneel stood at the front as they entered. Natsu Dragneel, the fire dragon slayer. Natsu Dragneel, the wizard that (Y/N) had always liked.

“This is so cool! I bet Fairy Tail will win this year. I can feel it.”

“Keep dreaming, lady,” a random guy in the stands shouted. “They stand no match against Sabertooth.”

(Y/N) brushed it off and turned her attention back to the arena.

\---------------------------

It was the end of the first day, and she could tell that Fairy Tail felt horrible about the series of events that happened. She was going to see if she would be able to talk to any of them, so she made her way over to the Fairy Tail inn. As she was rounding the corner, someone had slammed into her, knocking her back and forcing her onto the ground.

“Oh shoot. Sorry. I wasn’t watching where I was going.”

(Y/N) rubbed her arm where the contact had been made and traled her eyes up to the stranger’s face, eyes widening when she saw that it was none other than the infamous fire mage. 

“Are you okay?” He continued.

“Oh, uh, yeah. Super. You’re Natsu Dragneel, right?”

“Uh, yeah. Who are you?”

“Oh I’m a nobody. I just live here. My name is (Y/N).”

Natsu’s eyes drifted from her face downwards and landed on her red arm.

“You sure you’re alright?”

“I should be fine. It’s just red from impact.”

Natsu seemed to get an idea, and he looked off to the side as he spoke 

“Do you maybe wanna get something to eat?”

(Y/N)’s mouth hung open as she took in his question. Natsu panicked when he looked over at her expression. 

“I mean, to make up for hurting you of course!” 

“I would love to,” she said as she smiled wide.

\----------------------------

“You guys are totally gonna win the Games. There’s no doubt in my mind. Fairy Tail is unstoppable!”

Natsu chuckled and continued to eat as he listened to her rambling the next day. She stopped herself from getting too excited and looked out the window to watch the outside world. Natsu only looked at her when he knew she wouldn’t notice. He took in her (H/C) hair, her shining (E/C) eyes, her bright smile. He felt like he could look at her all day, and he blushed at the thought. It was destiny for him to find her by a chance encounter. There was no doubt that he liked her, even if he had only known her for a very short time. He wanted to spend as much time with her as he could. He invaded his mind when they were apart, and he had thought about her the whole night before. 

“Natsu? Are you listening?”

Natsu’s attention was turned back to the girl, and he apologized, excusing that he was just distracted by the Games. Her face lit up and she started talking about how cool it would be to have Fairy Tail and Sabertooth fight against each other in one of the pairings. 

“Like what if you got to go up against one of the Twin Dragons? That’d be so cool!”

“I would totally beat them if I did.”

“I don’t doubt it,” she teased. 

\------------------------

“Natsu!”

“Who the hell is that, fire freak?”

“Shut up, icicle. That’s (Y/N). She’s a resident here.”

(Y/N) made her way over to the small group of Team Natsu and congratulated them on their efforts in the competitions for the day. They all thanked her and turned to walk away when Natsu stayed to talk to her.

“Aw,” Lucy whispered, “someone has a crush on her.”

(Y/N) smiled brightly and grabbed Natsu’s hand before dragging him to their usual spot by a stone bridge. They sat on the steps, (Y/N) excitedly sharing her thoughts about the Games and Natsu laughing at her enthusiasm. 

“So I was thinking,” (Y/N) started, “if I was to ask you out, would you agree?”

Natsu did a double take and looked at her questioningly. 

“I mean, I’ve always liked you, even before you disappeared. And you’re so much nicer and sweeter than what I thought you’d be like. I guess I just wanted to see if you--”

Natsu gave a grin and stood up, pulling her up with him and dragging her towards the center of town. 

“I know a great place to eat.”

\----------------------------------

Natsu had to stay out of the final part of the Games, as he was part of the rescue team for Lucy. (Y/N) was disappointed, but she knew that Lucy was more important than the Games. She watched on at the various battles that took place and cheered when Fairy Tail had won without losing anyone. 

The excitement was short lived, as a little while later, dragons had emerged from the Eclipse Gate. (Y/N) started to panic when she saw them stomp through the town. She, like the other residents of Crocus and non-wizards, was escorted away from town to a place where they would be safe. She put her hands together and hoped that Natsu would be okay. She watched as buildings were crushed and pushed to the sides by the huge creatures. 

After the dragons were dealt with, the king had decided to throw a ball to thank the wizards. Natsu had asked the king if he could invite someone, saying that there was a girl who would love to go, and the king agreed. When asked if she would like to go to the castle, (Y/N) squealed in excitement and hugged Natsu tightly. 

“This is gonna be so fun!”

\------------------------

Natsu spotted the (H/C) hair from across the room, and his jaw dropped. (Y/N) was wearing a (F/C) dress with white detailing. She smiled wide when she spotted him, and she shuffled across the room to join him. 

“You look really great.”

(Y/N) giggled and repeated his statement before grabbing his hand and dragging him to the center of the room to dance. She had quickly learned that Natsu had two left feet, which caused her to laugh as she tried to teach him. After a while, Natsu had the basics down and they danced happily. 

“Hey Natsu?”

Natsu hummed, asking her to go on.

“I’m really glad I met you.”

“I’m glad I got to meet you too. I really like you.”

“You do?”

“Yeah. You’re great. I didn’t really expect to ever really find someone that I would get along with like this, but you took me by surprise.”

(Y/N)’s eye sparkled and she started to jump from one foot to the next.

“This is great! Because I really like you too.”

They both held wide grins. Natsu pulled her off the dancefloor and brought her over to a far corner. 

“I have a question. I have to leave soon to go back to Magnolia, but I was wondering…”

“What?”

“Well, Gramps always says that you don’t have to be a wizard to be a part of Fairy Tail, so I was wondering if you maybe wanted to join?”

“Me? Fairy Tail? Really?”

Natsu nodded as he laughed. (Y/N) quickly nodded and bounced around in excitement. She wrapped her arms around Natsu and kissed his cheek.

“I would love to.”

“Great!”


	52. Natsu x Bad Girl!Reader: Ax (high school au) [requested]

“Dude, you’re insane.”

Natsu snapped out of his trance and glared at his friend.

“What’s it to you, asshole?”

“ _She_ ,” Gray said as he pointed across the lunch room to the girl that Natsu was staring at, “is bad news.”

Heat rose to Natsu’s face and he quickly pushed Gray’s hand down to avoid people seeing that he was very clearly pointing to (Y/N). 

“It’s rude to point.”

“It’s rude to stare,” Gray countered.

Natsu opened and closed his mouth as he tried to come up with a sarcastic reply, but he couldn’t think of one. 

“What’re you guys talking about?” Lucy asked as she set down and placed her food tray on the table. 

“We’re talking about this idiot’s crush with someone who’s way out of his league.”

“Shut it, Fullbuster.”

“Oh come on,” Gray drawled, “you’re gonna tell me that you honestly think you have a chance with her? She’s way too cool for you.”

“No she’s too cool for _you_ ,” Natsu argued.

“She’s too cool for both of you,” Lucy laughed. “That’s (Y/N). Neither of you could handle her.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Natsu and Gray shouted.

Lucy held her hands up in surrender and started to pick at her lunch. She explained that she just thought that (Y/N) was a little too untamed to settle down with anyone.

“She’s dated before,” Natsu pushed. “So obviously--”

“Yeah. She dated Laxus. Now _that_ is someone who can handle her. Come on, Natsu. Don’t get your hopes up.”

Natsu sighed loudly, grumbling something under his breath and picking at Lucy’s food.

“Hey, hands off!”

\----------------------

“Ay Gajeel, get your ass over here already,” (Y/N) shouted from across the classroom.

Gajeel snickered and took his seat next to his friend. Natsu crossed the threshold a few minutes later and scanned the room. His eyes landed on his desk located behind (Y/N) and he took in a deep breath before walking over. He quietly took his seat and set his backpack on the floor beside him.

“Hey pinkie, you got any pencils?”

“Uh--”

“Aw come on, asshole. Don’t be rude. That’s Natsu. He’s my math buddy, right Natsu?”

Natsu gulped and slowly nodded at (Y/N)’s statement. She flashed a smile at him and sat down in her seat. Class started, and they were asked to work in pairs for the class assignment they had been given. Lucy went to walk up to Natsu when her jaw dropped.

“Whaddya think, Natsu? Wanna be my partner?”

Natsu seemed to have the same reaction as Lucy, staring wide eyed at the (H/C) haired girl. 

“Hey what about me?” Gajeel shouted.

“You’re being mean to my friend, Redfox. Besides, Natsu’s good at math.”

“I’m horrible at math.”

“Well good. That means that we can fail together.”

Natsu looked to Lucy for any explanation but she just gave an ‘I don’t know’ face and walked over to Juvia. (Y/N) spun around completely so she could work on his desk. Natsu just blinked multiple times in disbelief, still trying to process the events of the few minutes prior. 

“See? Now we can fail _in style_ ,” (Y/N) joked.

“Um, right, well--”

“But you know what would be really fun?” She continued.

“Uh, what?”

He looked at her eyes and saw that there was a mischievous glint. She reached behind her and took her phone out of her bag, turning some music on and blasting it. Natsu paled, his eyes darting over towards the teacher.

“Miss (L/N), please refrain from playing music.”

“But we can’t concentrate without it,” she casually dismissed. 

\------------------------

“Hey so like, what was math about?” Lucy questioned as she and Natsu took their seats at lunch.

“I have no idea. I didn’t even know she knew my name to be honest.”

His eyes drifted to the corner of the lunchroom where (Y/N) was seated with Gajeel and Laxus. 

“Why do they still sit together anyway?” Gray spoke. “They broke up months ago.”

“You can still be friends with your ex, Gray.”

He gave Lucy a look and shook his head, taking a seat next to her. Natsu’s eyes trained on the back of her head as she joked around with her friends. Gajeel handed her a bag of chips, and she smiled devilishly before loudly popping the bag. She could feel someone looking at her, so she turned around and made eye contact with the salmon haired boy. A lopsided smile was sent his way before she laughed at something Laxus said. 

\-------------------------

“Did you hear what happened this morning?” Lucy quickly spoke to Natsu after she sprinted over to his locker.

“Uh, no?”

“Your girlfriend TPed the principal’s car.”

“Why would she do that?” Natsu asked, shocked.

“Because it was fun,” came a voice.

They whipped around to see (Y/N) standing there with a childlike grin on her face. Her hand rested on her hip, the other brushing her hair out of her face. 

“Besides, the principal needs to learn how to have fun.”

Natsu looked mortified, the pieces clicking together just before she said her next line.

“So,” she teased, “I’m your girlfriend, eh?”

“That’s not what she meant,” he quickly covered. “She was just--”

“Aw,” she playfully pouted, “that’s too bad. You’re kinda cute too. Darn.”

With that, she winked and retreated back down the hall.

“Lucy!” He hissed.

She let out a quiet ‘sorry!’ before leaving to talk with one of her friends that had waved her over. Natsu groaned and closed his locker, stalking towards the inevitable embarrassment of having to sit right behind her in math. She was already seated, her eyes concentrated on whatever game she was playing on her phone as she waited for class to start. Natsu tried to silently sneak behind her and pretend that he wasn’t there so she wouldn’t notice him. His plan had, of course, failed, and he was faced with her (E/C) eyes studying him.

“Well?”

“Uh, what?”

(Y/N) raised her eyebrow and crossed her arms.

“Where’re we going?” She pressed. 

“H-Huh?”

“On our date, Dragneel. Where are you taking me?”

“...Date?”

“Well duh. I can’t be your girlfriend if you don’t take me on a date.”

“You’re serious about that?” Natsu breathed. “What?”

“Like I said, you’re cute. Do you drive? If not we can take my truck. I have the perfect place.”

\---------------------------

“How the hell did you manage to do that?” Gray blurted.

“Was this because of what I said?” Lucy quizzed. 

She smirked when she got a small nod from the salmon haired boy.

“See? I’m great at setting people up.”

“No you’re not, Lucy,” Natsu scolded. “This was a fluke. Don’t ever do that again.”

“Hey I didn’t know she was gonna hear.”

Natsu sighed, but a huge grin broke his face. 

“Take that, Fullbuster.”

“Whatever man. I give you one date and then you’re gonna get scared away.”

\--------------------------------

(Y/N) had found Natsu after the final bell and tapped his shoulder.

“Ready?”

Natsu nodded, following her towards the parking lot. They stopped in front of a black pickup truck. 

“You drive this?”

(Y/N) laughed and nodded, saying that she had always had it. She hopped into the driver’s seat and waved him in. 

“So are you ready to have some fun?”

“Where’re we even going?”

“You’ll see,” she sang.

She started the truck and pulled out of the parking lot. They drove for about fifteen minutes before she turned into a dirt lot off a side road.

“Uh,” Natsu started as he looked around, “where are we?”

“Natsu Dragneel, prepare for some ax throwing.”

“...Ax throwing?”

“Yeah. It’s super fun. I bet you’ll love it.”

They walked into the building and got a quick rundown of the process before they were taken to the grounds with an instructor. (Y/N) grinned wide when she was handed the ax, and Natsu’s jaw dropped when she hit the bullseye on the first try.

“You’re so cool,” he breathed.

(Y/N) looked over her shoulder and giggled, waving to him to go next. Natsu tried next, and he had managed to get it on the board, impressing himself. They took turns, and (Y/N) had hit it every time. She started to give Natsu tips, and she even guided his arms to get into an effective position. Natsu smiled wide when he hit the bullseye. 

“This is super cool.”

“I’m glad you like it,” (Y/N) laughed. “This is my favorite place to come. It’s super fun, not to mention stress-relieving.”

Natsu looked up to see that it was starting to get dark. (Y/N) seemed to realize too, and she sighed before waving her goodbyes to the instructors and pulling Natsu back over to the truck.

“This was fun,” she cheerily stated.

“I never expected something like this. You’re like, super unpredictable.”

(Y/N) laughed loudly and winked.

“You should see what I do on second dates.”

Natsu’s face erupted in red, causing (Y/N) to snicker and reveal that she was talking about an Escape Room. Natsu let out a quiet ‘oh’ and laughed nervously. 

“So how come you’re always getting in trouble?”

“It’s fun. Besides, the things I get in trouble for are harmless. I just like switching it up every once in a while. School gets boring.”

They drove in silence until they reached the school parking lot again to drop Natsu off at his car.

“This was fun.”

“Really?” Natsu responded. 

“Yeah. You’re fun. Who knows though. Let’s see if you can handle me,” she joked.

Natsu’s eyes widened in realization and stuttered, “Wait. Don’t tell me that you overhe--”

“Your friends talk loud,” was her joking reply. 

Natsu groaned loudly, silently vowing to get back at them later. (Y/N) slid out of her truck and leaned against the front as she waited for Natsu to join her. He leaned back beside her and crossed his arms, both of them looking up at the stars. 

Natsu started, “I’m sorry if they--”

“Don’t even worry about it. I’m used to the talk. Oh, and just so you know…”

She gently kissed his cheek and smirked.

“Laxus _couldn’t_ handle me, so I wish you the best of luck.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Requests are OPEN.


	53. Natsu x Reader: Heather [requested]

The cold bit at (Y/N)’s hands as she trekked through Magnolia. Snow blew around her, and she had to squint so she could see through the wall of snowflakes. She spotted an all-too-familiar diner. Though she said she would never go in there again, her feet forced her inside. (Y/N) sat herself by the window, ordering a hot chocolate and people watching. Multiple couples had walked past, all holding hands or smiling lovingly at each other. She smiled sadly.

_I still remember third of December  
Me in your sweater, you said it looked better  
On me, than it did you  
only if you knew  
How much I liked you_

Her drink was delivered to the table, and she thanks the waitress before wrapping her hands around the mug to warm them up. She instinctively went to adjust the scarf around her neck, but her lips pressed into a thin line when she realized that she wasn’t wearing it anymore. 

“Well, I guess that’s normal now,” she thought aloud. “Don’t know why I even still thought it was there.”

The couples continued to file past her, taunting her in a way. Nothing was more painful than winter without him. Her skin missed the heat that radiated off him. Her nose missed the faint smell of smoke. Her hands missed his. Her ears missed the loving tone in his voice as he whispered to her.

_but I watch your eyes  
As she walks by  
What a sight for sore eyes  
Brighter than the blue sky  
She's got you mesmerized  
While I die_

She thought back to the day that she knew was the start of the end. It all happened so fast. It seemed like yesterday that he had dragged the blonde woman into the guildhall, introducing her and telling everyone that she was a new guild member. (Y/N) welcomed her warmly at first. She had no reason not to, right? A new member of Fairy Tail is a new member of the family, so she thought nothing of it when she joined Team Natsu, or when they all started going on requests together. She never thought about the rapidly decreasing amount of requests that he had asked her to go on with him, or the weeks that they went without going on a date or spending time alone. They were family, right? He was just making sure she felt welcomed.

_Why would you ever kiss me?  
I'm not even half as pretty  
You gave her your sweater  
It's just polyester  
But you like her better  
Wish I were Heather_

It was two months in when she finally realized what was happening. It ran over her like a runaway carriage. Looking back, she had always known. She was just hoping, _praying_ that her suspicions were unfounded. He had drifted apart from her, and she finally saw that it would be nearly impossible to pull him back. He barely dropped in at her apartment, and when he did, he seemed distracted. He would avoid looking her in the eyes, and he would only stay for no more than ten minutes before he suddenly jumped out the window into the streets. The boy came one night, talking flatly, almost guilty. He didn’t stay long, and only said one thing to her as he left.

“Sorry.”

He had broken up with her the next day.

_Watch as she stands with her holding your hand  
Put your arm 'round her shoulder, now I'm getting colder  
But how could I hate her? She's such an angel  
But then again, kinda wish she were dead_

It was a quick turnaround. Two days after, he had walked into the guildhall, his fingers entwined with her. The same way his hands used to fit perfectly with hers. He wasn’t overly open with the relationship, maybe because he had realized that the dynamic of the guild had changed after that night. She didn’t speak to anyone for the next couple days, and she barely came into the guildhall. Why would she go to a place that was her home just to be ripped apart? The hall felt empty, even though there were dozens of her other guildmates there that would love to talk with her. In fact, she had immediately gone up to Mira, handed her a request, and left without a word.

She didn’t blame Lucy at all. It wasn’t her fault, afterall. She couldn’t control it, and she didn’t know. It was no one’s fault in her eyes. They just...drifted. At least that’s what she convinced herself as happening. The days that (Y/N) had gone to the hall were spent in the corner. She watched the blonde carefully, trying to figure out exactly what went wrong. Was it because he was sick of looking at the same (H/C) hair? Her unchanging (E/C) eyes? Maybe he just got bored. Lucy was definitely a match for him. She put up with the same overly energetic and dense disposition that she had loved for three years. There was no mistaking his happiness, but she couldn’t help but wish he had never found her in Hargeon.

_As she walks by  
What a sight for sore eyes  
Brighter than a blue sky  
She's got you mesmerized  
While I die_

(Y/N)’s hand tightened its grip on her mug, finger pads pressing onto the warm ceramic. She looked around the diner, taking in the crowds of people that were happily eating and spending time with the people they held close. Her left hand reached into her hair, fingers raking through the strands, trying to rid the cold water from melted snowflakes. 

The waitress returned with a refill for her hot chocolate, sensing that she needed something to cheer her up. (Y/N) smiled at the kind woman and gave her a warm ‘thank you,’ turning back towards the window. She took in a deep breath, her hot breath puffing against the glass of the window and fogging it up. Her fingers left the mug and started to trace little pictures against the condensation. She settled for a snowman and a bunny with a winter hat. A small giggle escaped her lips as she leaned back to get a better look. 

Something caught her eye, and her heart dropped. It all seemed to be in slow motion. The way they walked by, hand in hand, standing close. His wide grin and her cute smile. His usual flimsy winter cloak and her puffy coat. But what really got her, no matter how hard she tried to deny it, was the sight of his scarf wrapped around her. 

_Why would you ever kiss me?  
I'm not even half as pretty  
You gave her your sweater  
It's just polyester  
But you like her better  
I wish I were Heather_

(Y/N) gasped and turned away when she saw the couple look into the diner. She had quickly pulled her hood over her face to avoid recognition. She didn’t know what would be worse of him spotting her in the diner and realizing that she had seen him give her his scarf. What would be worse? Him regretting it when he saw the tears pooling in her eyes, or him walking away, not bothered by the sight of his old love? She didn’t want to find out. 

She watched them as they walked by, their footsteps traced in the snow. Her hot chocolate seemed disgusting to her now, and she couldn’t bear to drink the same drink he had gotten for her on their first date, and on every Tuesday during winter. The whipped cream had melted by that point, and a small tray of mini marshmallows sat next to the mug. 

It happened before she could stop it, and she cursed herself when tears started to drip onto the table. There was no denying it anymore. He was gone. 

_Wish I were Heather  
(Oh, oh)  
Wish I were Heather_

There was nothing she could do. No matter how hard she could possibly try, there was no bringing him back. His heart belonged to someone else now, and she had to be okay with that. Her body would be forever cold. She would never again be close enough for her nose to take in the campfire smell. Her fingers would come to forget what his skin felt like. Her eyes would never see him sound asleep next to her again. 

There was one person that changed everything. One girl that flipped her life around. 

_Why would you ever kiss me?  
I'm not even half as pretty  
You gave her your sweater  
It's just polyester  
But you like her better  
Wish I were_

“Lucy.”


	54. Bad Boy!Natsu x Reader: Detention Buddies [requested]

"D-Detention?"

"You know the rule, (Y/N). You got too many answers wrong on your homework, so now you stay after school for help in detention."

"But I—"

"It's only for an hour. It'll go by quickly."

(Y/N) let out a disappointed 'okay' and left the math room, joining her friends by her locker. Evergreen gasped when she heard the news.

"Seriously? That's horrible. Why detention?"

"He has a rule. If you get more than five problems wrong on your homework, you have to go to detention for 'extra help.' But he never helps and just sits at his desk."

"That's a stupid reason for detention," Bickslow added.

"There's another problem with that," Freed spoke.

They all looked over to him, waiting for his explanation.

"I heard Natsu also has a math detention."

(Y/N) gasped loudly, her whole face paling.

"No no no. I can't do that. I have to get out of this."

Another voice appeared, questioning, "What the hell is up with you?"

Evergreen caught Laxus up to speed and his eyes lit up in amusement.

"Don't even start," (Y/N) warned.

"It won't be that bad. He won't even talk to you."

"That's not the point! He doesn't have to _talk_ to me. He just has to _be there_."

"What the hell does that mean?"

"It means," Freed interrupted as he turned to Laxus, "she gets nervous when he's around. Because she _likes_ him."

"Shh! Jesus Freed."

"Typical. Everyone likes the bad boy," Bickslow groaned. "Why can't I get any girls?"

"Because you're mean," Evergreen and (Y/N) responded in unison.

"Natsu's mean."

"No he's rebellious. It's different."

"Yeah Bickslow, don't you know?" Freed taunted. "Everyone likes the bad boy."

Bickslow rolled his eyes and pushed himself off the lockers before leaving down the hall. Laxus playfully patted the top of (Y/N)'s head before he also left.

"Ever," she whined, "you gotta help me. What the heck am I supposed to do?"

"Just ignore him."

"I can't!"

__________

"Just take a seat anywhere, (Y/N)."

She stiffly nodded at the teacher and scanned the room. She spotted the pink hair of the boy she was trying her best to avoid and took in a deep breath. Deciding to avoid him altogether, the (H/C) haired girl made her way over to the far corner and sat down with her hands folded. As usual in these 'homework detentions,' the teacher continued to play on his computer, ignoring his students.

Natsu's feet were stretched across the desk next to him, and he was on his phone. The teacher looked up and held out his hand.

"No phones, Natsu. You're supposed to be here to—"

"'Reflect on your actions.' I know. I just don't wanna."

The teacher took his phone and placed it in his desk drawer before turning back to his computer. (Y/N) looked at the clock and groaned when she saw only ten minutes had passed. Her quiet voice broke through the silence.

"Um, should I get out my homework so you can help me?"

Natsu's ears perked up, and his head swiveled for the side to make eye contact with her.

"When did you get here?"

"I was here the whole time," she muttered to herself.

"Sure," the teacher spoke up, "but you should try doing it on your own so you learn."

(Y/N) looked at him unimpressed and mumbled under her breath, "How am I supposed to improve if you won't even help me?"

She turned her head down and opened her book, taking out her notebook to start to redo the assignment. Natsu turned to face her fully and raised his eyebrow.

"I've never seen you here before."

"I don't get detentions."

"So why're you here?"

"I, uh, well I'm—"

"She's here because she needs extra help for her assignments."

"Then why, may I ask, is she learning anything if you just sit there playing solitaire with your one and only online friend?"

"I don't think I asked you."

"I don't care. She obviously doesn't belong here. She probably just wants to get home to like, uh, write or whatever," Natsu drawled before turning to (Y/N). "You wanna leave, right?"

"Well I mean, I'm here so that way I can learn more about—"

"See? She wants you to teach her and you're denying her the happiness she wants. What a disappointment."

(Y/N) waved frantically, afraid that the teacher would get mad at her, and turned back to her book, nervously saying that she could try to figure it out on her own.

The teacher turned back to his game and continued to ignore the two of them. Natsu rolled his eyes and stood up. He tossed a glance over at (Y/N) and made his way over to her desk, taking a seat at the desk in front of her and turning around to face her.

"What's your name?"

"Oh, uh, my name is (Y/N)."

"I'm guessing you don't get detentions."

"You can tell?"

"I may be wrong," Natsu laughed, "but I think anyone that looks as tense as you are right now doesn't get detention."

(Y/N)'s face heated up at his teasing statement, her eyes trained on the math problem in front of her. Natsu chuckled and slowly closed her textbook. The (H/C) haired girl made short eye contact with him before her eyes snapped back to the desk.

"Why're you over here?" She asked quietly so that the teacher wouldn't notice.

"Bored. Intrigued."

"By what?"

"You."

"M-Me? Why?"

"You're new, so you're the most interesting thing in this classroom."

"Oh," was her low reply. "So what are you here for?"

Natsu smirked and pointed to the teacher's desk.

"Nothing much, just filling the desk with shaving cream."

"Why would you do that?" She asked, shocked.

"Because," Natsu said as he gave a sly look over to the teacher, "it was fun."

Her curiosity had started to outweigh the embarrassment she felt as she sat near him, "Do you do this all the time?"

She received another smirk in response. (Y/N) studied his face, taking in the small features that one could only see up close. He was so much more attractive at this distance, which says something because he was already perfect to her. She quickly looked away when his eyes returned to her.

"What grade are you in?"

"I'm a junior."

Natsu hummed and leaned back in the chair so that his back touched the desk.

"You've made it all the way to junior year and this is your first detention? Impressive."

"I never said this was my first detention."

"Oh please," he scoffed, "you look like you're freaking out on the inside. There's no way you've been here before."

(Y/N) sighed and shook her head.

"Whaddya say we sneak out? He's way too focused on that stupid card game."

"But I'm here to learn," she quickly excused.

"And how are you gonna learn when there's no one to teach you?"

(Y/N) could see his logic. She was thinking the same thing, afterall. But she could also confidently say that her nerves would not be able to talk to Natsu much longer without it being obvious that she liked him.

"Oh, uh, I totally would, but I don't really think I could handle getting in trouble again."

"Come on, live a little. I promise I won't bite too hard," he joked.

Her eyes took a quick look at the teacher before they returned to her textbook. She looked at the teacher again before landing on Natsu's amused face.

"Well? Are you done overthinking?"

(Y/N) took one last look at the teacher before quietly packing her bag and nodding to the pink haired boy. Natsu stood up and very blatantly opened the door, not even trying to hide the fact that he was leaving. (Y/N), on the other hand, quickly scurried past him, ducking under his arm to make it into the hallway before the teacher noticed.

"You don't have to worry about him. He's the worst detention proctor ever."

Natsu led them through the halls, eventually stopping at a classroom. (Y/N) peaked past him as he opened the door and deducted that they were standing in front of one of the art rooms.

"Why're we here of all places?" She asked, confusion lacing her voice.

"Figured he wouldn't look in here. That is, if he even looks at all."

He walked over to the corner of the room and waved her in, sitting down at one of the sculpting desks.

"So what do you like to do when you're not in detention?" He quizzed, a teasing tone evident.

(Y/N) hesitantly revealed that she liked to read. She waited for his answer, but she never got one.

"Um, so what do you do in your freetime?"

"Hm, probably coming up with ways to annoy the teachers and administration. I've been very bored lately. I need an accomplice or something."

(Y/N) caught on to what he was saying and shook her head.

"No way. I'm not getting into constant trouble. It'll look bad on my transcript."

Natsu laughed loudly and flashed a grin at her, saying that he was only joking. He stretched out on the floor and laid down, his head resting on an art bag.

"I've never seen you before," he observed, "but you look kinda familiar."

"I mean, I guess you could've maybe seen me in the halls. It's not that big of a school."

"Or maybe from my dreams," he smoothly replied.

(Y/N)'s face flushed, her eyes darting away from him and fixating on an empty canvas in the corner.

"Wait I totally know you," he suddenly spoke. "You hang out with that wicked smart dude and his annoying friend."

She giggled, making a note to tease Bickslow for being the 'annoying friend.'

"I'm sure Freed would appreciate you recognizing his talents. Bickslow, not so much."

Natsu gave a lopsided smile and took her hand in his.

"You're a very interesting person."

"Me? How? All I do is come to school and do my work. I don't really socialize all that much."

"You're different. You're not trying to do whatever you can to seem cool."

"Uh...thanks? I guess."

"You're like, perfectly fine with being boring."

"Okay, first of all," she started as she pointed at him, "that's rude. And secondly, there is nothing wrong with being boring."

He put his hands up in surrender and explained himself, "I just mean, like, everyone that talks to me looks like they're trying so hard to seem cool. You're fine with the way you are. It's nice."

"Um, thanks."

"So are you sure you don't wanna do something rebellious? I have plenty of options."

"Actually, as much as I've enjoyed this experience, detention is basically over and I left my backpack in the math room."

Natsu sighed loudly and stood up, holding his hand out to pull her up. He guided her back to the detention room, and they both packed up to leave. (Y/N) went back to her locker to switch out her books and grab her jacket. She started to type on her phone, and she waited by the front door. Natsu had passed her on the way out, double taking and backing up.

"Why're you just standing here?"

"My car is in the shop, so I have to ask someone to come get me."

Natsu covered her phone with his hands and tilted his head to nod towards the parking lot.

"Let's go. I have time."

"Are you sure? I wouldn't wanna--"

"Don't worry about it. Plus, this just means I can get to know you more."

(Y/N) watched Natsu as he started to walk towards the parking lot, only following when he turned around and waved her on. She adjusted her backpack and slowly stepped behind him. They reached his car and hopped in. Natsu started the car and asked her for directions. At first, (Y/N) sat there in silence, awkwardly looking at the trees as they passed.

"You should get detention more often," Natsu suggested. "You're fun."

"I thought you said I was boring?"

"Well yeah, but everyone needs someone boring to balance it out," he taunted.

She rolled her eyes, but a ghost of a smile floated onto her face. They arrived at (Y/N)'s house, and she turned to thank him.

"Would you say that you owe me one then?" Natsu probed.

"Oh, uh, well--"

"What do you say you let me take you to an ice cream or something?"

Her mouth dropped, and she looked at him wide eyed.

"But...you're a senior."

"Yes I am."

"And I'm boring."

Natsu chuckled and agreed, "Yes you are."

"So why would you--"

"Sometimes boring is the most interesting thing in the world, depending on the person of course."

"Wha...I mean I, uh..."

"I'll take that as a yes," he declared as he grinned. "I'll pick you up Saturday night."

She climbed out of his car and made her way over to her front door, giving a small wave before entering her house. Once the door was closed and she saw Natsu drive off, a loud and excited squeal escaped her lips.

"Holy shit!"


	55. Natsu x Bullied!Reader: New [requested]

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger warning: bullying.

(Y/N) was a lot of things, but one thing stuck out most to her. She was bullied. Severely. Years worth of emotional and verbal abuse followed her like a dark cloud. Sometimes it was blatant, others very subtle. From telling her that she was better off just never showing up again to the small laughter she heard whenever she would try to speak to anyone. 

The teachers never noticed, and even if they did, they did absolutely nothing to try to stop it. You see, these bullies happened to be the students that all the teachers liked. Even if they weren’t smart or perfectly-behaved, they still had a close relationship with every teacher that taught them. 

She had no friends. All of them decided that cutting ties to her was best for their own mental health, as they were starting to get bullied just for being friends with her. She sat alone in the library during her free periods and at lunch. When it would get too overwhelming, she would pretend to have a stomach ache and hide in the nurse’s office until she felt up to facing them. The nurse had, by this time, surely caught on, but she too ignored it, instead complaining that she was taking up a bed that another student might _actually need_. 

Nothing seemed to be working for her. No matter what she did, criticism and harassment jumped at her. She decided to just keep her head down, speak only when asked by a teacher, not engage in any type of conversation. She figured that it would be best if she made herself invisible. 

It didn’t work.

“Hey look, it’s the reject,” came a smug voice.

(Y/N) looked quickly over her shoulder to see her biggest bully, a tall boy with brown hair. If she was being honest, she was scared shitless of the possibility that the bullying would shift into physical harassment. This boy was very built, and he could easily cause some serious damage. His partner, a short purple haired girl, stood next to him with a hand on her hip. 

“No kidding. Looking as horrible as yesterday, (random name).”

“My name is (Y/N),” she quietly mumbled.

“What was that? Did the mouse squeak?” She taunted before turning to the boy. “Brent, what were you saying to me earlier?”

He smirked and took out his phone.

“I said we should record her as she tries to talk to us so that everyone can see what a loser she is.”

(Y/N), having all of her confidence zapped away from her due to the years of bullying, had a fear of people watching her, so she started shaking. 

“What do you think, (random name)? Up for a starring role?”

“N-No. I don’t really want to.”

Brent and the girl looked to each other before smiling devilishly. They went to say something else when a small group turned the corner and started walking towards them. The three of them recognized the principal, so the bullies retreated back to their classes, leaving (Y/N) shaking in the middle of the hall. 

“Miss (L/N), what seems to be the issue?” The principal tested. 

“N-Nothing, sir.”

“Then why, may I ask, are you standing in the middle of the hall when you should be in class? Please return before you face disciplinary action.”

“Yes, sir.”

She quickly looked at the rest of the group and saw that it consisted of three more adults and a student that she didn’t recognize. 

“Miss (L/N), now please,” the principal repeated.

“Right, sorry.”

She spun around and started to walk down the hall when a voice called out to her. She looked over her shoulder to see the student smiling at her. 

“I’m Natsu. What’s your name?”

“Oh, um, it’s (Y/N).”

Her eyes darted back to the principal and waved at the group before returning to her class.

\----------------------------

It was lunchtime, so, like usual, (Y/N) grabbed her lunch and went to sneak into the library. A voice interrupted her thoughts, and she turned around to see the pink haired boy standing in front of her with a wide smile.

“You’re that girl from before, right? (Y/N) was it?”

She slowly nodded, cautious of the interaction. He pointed to her food and started to joke.

“Is the chicken good here? I went with pizza as a safe choice because the chicken at my old school was severely questionable.”

“It’s bearable,” came her quiet reply. 

She went to walk past him when he called out to her again. He rubbed the back of his head, the smile never leaving his face.

“It’s my first day, and I don’t really know my way around here. Would you mind if I sat with you?”

“Me?”

Natsu nodded, but his smile disappeared when he saw her eyes.

“I, uh, I mean you totally don’t have to let me sit with you!” He panicked. “I just figured that I could get to know at least one person my first day, and we kinda already met before so I just thought that--”

“Are you sure you want to sit with me?” She asked, confusion overwhelming her voice.

“Uh, yeah? Unless it’s a problem.”

“It’s...not a problem for me. But you might want to choose someone else.”

“Do you not like people?” He joked.

“People don’t like me,” was her simple reply. “But I mean, I’m not saying you can’t. It would have to be in the library though. I can’t eat here.”

“Deal!” 

Natsu balanced his tray and followed his new acquaintance to the library. They sat in the back, (Y/N) quietly eating her lunch. 

“So why do you eat up here? Is it some cool secret place you found?” He asked excitedly.

She shook her head.

“Do you come up here to get homework done?”

Another shake.

“What, are you banned from the cafeteria then?” He laughed.

“Socially banned, yes.”

Natsu’s smile faltered and his eyes were clouded with confusion. 

“Seriously?”

(Y/N) nodded her head and continued to take small bites out of her lunch. He started to ask her why, but she gave no answer. The bell rang, signalling the end of lunch period, so (Y/N) quietly packed her things and started to leave the library. 

“Wait!”

Her eyes met his in a patient stare.

“I don’t know my way to my class. Where’s the history classes?”

“My next period is in the history wing. I’ll show you.”

He thanked her and caught up to her, walking at her side and talking about whatever thoughts raced across his mind. It had started with him talking about not wanting to get lost, but it had somehow evolved into him talking about him trying to teach his cat how to talk. She kept an eye out for anyone that would pose a threat to her, and relaxed when she couldn’t see anyone.

“What’s your class number?”

“Uh, 218A.”

She let out a small ‘oh’ and waved him towards the correct door.

“We have this class together. The teacher doesn’t like cellphones, so keep it discreet if you’re gonna use yours.”

They opened the door, (Y/N) immediately walking to the back corner. Natsu quickly scanned the room for an empty desk, but he couldn’t find one. The teacher spotted him awkwardly standing by the door and motioned him in.

“Are you the new student?”

Natsu smiled wide and introduced himself. The teacher smiled warmly at him and scanned the room. His eyes landed on (Y/N).

“(Y/N), is there someone sitting next to you?”

“Of course there isn’t, sir,” the familiar girl bully snickered. “Who would wanna be?”

The (H/C) haired girl kept her head down as she picked at her fingers. The teacher instructed Natsu to join (Y/N) in the back of the class, and the class started a few minutes later. 

“Hey,” Natsu whispered, “what was that all about?”

“You probably shouldn’t talk to me.”

Natsu furrowed his eyebrows, but turned his attention to the teacher’s lecture. Class ended, and Natsu had asked for (Y/N)’s help finding his next class, to which she quickly pointed him in the right direction before making her way to her own class. It passed by relatively normally, snide comments and passive aggressive gestures littered between the teacher’s monotone and uncaring lecture. She excused herself to go to the bathroom, which deemed to be a mistake when she spotted Brent. 

“Well look who we have here,” he taunted. “What brings you out here, mouse?”

(Y/N) stayed silent and went to walk past him when her hand was caught. She froze, her wide eyes slowly meeting him. 

“Where do you think you’re going?”

“Um, the b-bathroom?”

“I’m not finished with you yet.”

“Is this, like, normal?” A familiar voice cut through the tension. 

“Who the hell are you?” Brent snapped.

“Hi, my name is Natsu. I’m new here.”

“Yeah, obviously you’re new if you think that talking to her is gonna get you anywhere.”

“What’s that supposed to mean? She seems nice enough.”

“Wow, little mouse, it seems you’ve managed to brainwash the new guy. Pretty low, aiming for someone who doesn’t know what a reject you are.”

“Man you’re a dick,” Natsu drawled. 

“What did you just say to me?”

“I said you’re a dick. Do you need me to say it again?”

“You are siding with the wrong people, newbie,” Brent warned.

“I think I’m siding with the right people. What was your name?”

“Brent.”

“Well Brian, I--”

“ _Brent_.”

“Listen Brian,” Natsu started with a smirk, “I might be new here, but I know a bad situation when I see it. Just let her go piss.”

“You made the wrong move, dumbass.”

With that, Brent huffed and stalked down the hall, leaving Natsu and (Y/N) standing there in silence. 

“You shouldn’t have done that,” (Y/N) squeaked. “Now they’ll target you.”

“Not a chance,” he dismissed. “And even if they do, that’s not a good enough excuse to let people walk over my friend, now is it?”

“Your...friend? You don’t wanna be friends with me. You’ll get dragged into--”

“Who cares? That stuff doesn’t bother me. Besides,” he chuckles as he playfully flexed his arms, “that guy got nothing on me.”

“You’re very weird.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment. Now go piss.”

Natsu made a ‘shoo’ gesture and smiled before studying the numbers on the classrooms and looking back at his schedule.

“Come on,” he groaned. “I just left the damn classroom, so why can’t I find it again?”

\------------------------------

It had been a month, and Natsu still held the same smile he had for her the first time they met. He had gotten some backlash from Brent later in the week, but it seemed that Natsu had a quick wit when it came to comebacks. Academics...not so much. Fortunately for him, (Y/N) was exponentially better at books, so they made a deal. She would help him as best as she could (she was, afterall, no valedictorian), and he would defend her from whatever the other students had planned for her.

“Why do they even pick on you this much?” Natsu quizzed as he stole a fry off her plate. “You’re totally not someone that should be bullied. You’re too nice.”

“Everyone thinks I’m weird.”

“But you’re not. You seem completely normal to me. Although, you do seem to have an unhealthy obsession with (topic).”

For the first time in a long time, (Y/N) let out a small giggle. Natsu’s smile grew at her laugh.

“See? That’s like, the first time you’ve been happy enough to laugh.”

“It’s been a long time since someone has talked to me this much.”

“That’s because they’re all cowards. Nobody should be put through half of what you’ve experienced. You don’t have to like someone, but doing what they did to you for all this time is out of line.”

“Thank you, Natsu.”

“Does this mean I can have the rest of your fries?”

(Y/N) rolled her eyes and pushed her tray towards him.

\---------------------------

“Where’s your bodyguard, mouse? Get sick of you yet?”

(Y/N) rolled her eyes and went to silently walk away from Brent when she was pushed to the ground. 

“You’re obviously not getting the message, so I’ll just have to teach it to you directly.”

She looked at him fearfully, her eyes darting around the hallway to see if anyone would come to help her.

“Aw are you looking for your savior? If I recall, he’s in a classroom on the other side of the building. Too bad for you.”

“Actually,” Natsu’s stern voice interjected, “too bad for you. I don’t go to bio because I suck at it. What’s your problem with her anyway? She’s done nothing to you and she minds her business. She’s never once done anything mean since I’ve known her, but you all try to treat her like the plague. I’m sure she’s sick of it because I know I certainly am.”

Brent glared at Natsu before throwing a nasty look at (Y/N) and disappearing down the hall. Natsu crouched down in front of (Y/N), who was starting to shake on the floor.

“You’re okay,” he soothed.

“You shouldn't have to put yourself through all this,” she choked. “You could be doing so much better things than always having to defend me. You should have a lot of friends and not have to worry about me.”

He showed her a small smile, and his hand came to gently stroke her hair. 

“Don’t you worry about me. I actually have a few people I want you to meet. They don’t go here; they’re friends from my old school, but they’re super nice and I think you’d all get along. Wanna meet them after school?”

Her tears returned, and she hugged him tightly. 

\---------------------------

“Everyone, meet (Y/N). She’s my friend at the new school. Pretty cool, right?”

“Hello there,” a red haired woman greeted. “My name is Erza. It’s nice to meet you.”

“I’m Wendy.”

“Lucy.”

“Gray.”

“Nobody asked you, icy,” Natsu scoffed.

“Are you kidding me?! We’re literally introducing ourselves.”

Natsu and Gray started bickering about absolutely nothing, and the three girls sighed loudly and turned back to (Y/N).

“I’m really glad we got to meet you,” Wendy started.

“Indeed. Natsu has said nothing but good things about you.”

“Oh and believe me,” Lucy teased, “he has said a lot about you.”

“Me? Really?”

“You’re all he talks about when we ask him about school. You really made the transition easy on him. He really didn’t wanna move schools, but he seems to really enjoy your presence.”

“Yeah, hot head can’t shut up about you,” Gray commented, smirking at his pink haired friend.

“Shut it, freezy!”

“What did you just call me?!”

\------------------

“So I was thinking we could all go to the movies or something,” Natsu spoke through a mouthful of food.

“You’re gonna draw attention to both of us if you keep eating like that,” (Y/N) chided. “We’re in the middle of the lunchroom. We’re not secluded in the library anymore.”

“But isn’t it nice to not be?”

“I mean...yeah. Which is why it’s important that you don’t do that.”

“Lucy wanted me to ask you if you wanted to go to like a sleepover or whatever. She said she forgot to ask you the last time we all hung out and apparently she’s too lazy to text you herself.”

(Y/N) laughed and said that she would text her later.

“So...movie?”

“I think I could go for a movie,” she happily responded.

\-----------------

After months of hanging out with their group of friends, (Y/N)’s confidence seemed to start budding again. She was raising her hand in her classes, actually talking in group projects, and she walked the halls without her eyes glued to the floor. 

Much to her surprise, Brent had given up on trying to get past Natsu to get to her. Natsu was stubborn afterall, and Brent and the other bullies got tired of being met with the same brick wall whenever they tried anything. 

“Natsu!”

Said boy turned around to see (Y/N) jogging towards him.

“What’s up?”

“Lucy said that you wanted to ask me something important.”

“What did I--”

He groaned when he realized Lucy’s plan. (Y/N) was yanked over to the main lobby and told to keep quiet.

“Lucy is being an asshole. I told her that I would do it on my own, but she just has to interfere.”

(Y/N) listened to his mumbling and watched as he paced across the lobby with amusement. 

“Natsu,” she laughed, “it can’t be that bad.”

“I, uh, well I wanted to know if you wanted to like to go to a movie.”

“Well sure. What time are we all going?”

“It would be just us.”

She seemed to catch on, and she looked at him suspiciously.

“Are you sure you wanna do that?”

“Yeah. So, uh, whaddya say?”

She nodded happily and hugged him loosely.

“Thank, Natsu.”


	56. Bad Boy!Natsu x Reader: MPF (magic school au) [requested]

Fairy Tail Academy was the most prestigious magic school in the world. Only the best could attend, and each young aspiring mage had to go through rigorous entrance exams before they even applied. It was no surprise that everyone at the school was focused on being the best. Well, except one.

“How did he even get in?” (Y/N) snapped. “All he does is mess around and cause trouble.”

“He must have _some_ talent,” Levy replied. “I mean, he wouldn’t have gotten in otherwise.”

(Y/N) huffed and walked over to her locker to grab her jacket.

“Do you still have your MPF exam today?”

“Unfortunately,” (Y/N) muttered, “but this time I’m totally prepared. Last time was just my nerves.”

“You got this, (N/N)! Don’t let one bad exam get to you.”

The (E/C) eyes girl waved her goodbyes to her friend and continued down the hall. She made her way to the gym and stared at the MPF intently.

“I just need something over two thousand and then I can get my A.”

She walked over to inspect the device as it sat in the middle of the floor. Her nerves started to surface, eliciting a groan from the mage. 

“Not again,” she whined. 

Thinking of ways to calm down, she started to take deep breaths as she paced along the wall. 

“Will you quit it? You’re gonna hyperventilate.”

Her head whipped around to the voice and glared when she saw the infamous pink haired slacker. 

“What are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be off sabotaging some device somewhere.”

“That’s exactly what I’m doing,” he casually spoke. 

“What do you...no! You’re not allowed to mess up my exam,” she hissed. “I’ve been working on this all week. You are _not_ ruining my chances for a good score.”

Natsu smirked and overdramatically leaned against the MPF. He placed his hand on it and tapped on it, prompting an eight to appear on the reader.

“Don’t you dare. I swear I will go straight to the dean and you will get in so much trouble that--”

“I’m not afraid of you or trouble, and I’m certainly not afraid of the dean.”

“What is your problem? All you do is slack off. How are you even still enrolled?”

“Because unlike you, princess, I don’t choke.”

(Y/N) growled a ‘fuck you’ before crossing her arms. She watched him as he yawned and leaned on the device again, a twenty showing. She grabbed her backpack and took out the handbook on MPF tests, looking it over for the thirty second time to make sure she knew all the rules. 

“You’re gonna give yourself a heart attack, and I don’t think medic mages will be able to help you very much.”

“I’m perfectly fine. Now leave me alone so I can review.”

“You can’t even ‘review’ for this test. You just hit the ball or whatever. You shouldn’t have to study for that.”

“I’m just making sure. I want this to be the last test. I only get one more chance after this to pass or else I get dropped from the program. _So if you don’t mind,_ I would really appreciate you tampering with the MPF _after_ my exam.”

“Hm, I don’t know. I was kinda hoping I could do it now.”

“Please don’t,” she begged, completely distraught. 

Natsu just laughed and disappeared behind the MPF, looking through the orb at her. She squeezed her eyes shut tight, trying to block out the nuisance that was standing by the device. Footsteps were heard from the hallway, and the Wizard Saint, Jura, appeared at the doorway. (Y/N) paled at the sight, horrified that her proctor was someone of such strength. She stood up straight and stiffly greeted him when he addressed her. 

“Are you two ready?”

“Two?”

“Oh, did I not mention that I was also taking this test? Turns out I missed the last one, and I wouldn’t wanna be dropped from the program now, would I?” Natsu asked, cockily echoing her words in a taunt. 

“Alright you two. Let’s do this. (Y/N), you’re up first.”

Said mage took in a deep breath, shuffling at the starting line and aiming a spell at the MPF. She closed her eyes once she heard the beep, praying for an acceptable score, especially in the presence of a Wizard Saint. It would be a complete embarrassment if she--

“1990?”

“W-What?” 

She gasped when she saw that that was indeed the score she got. Her face fell, and she screamed in frustration. 

“Please just give me one more chance. I swear I can--”

“If you want to try again, you have to reschedule.”

“But it’ll only take a second,” she pleaded. “I was only ten points off, so I’m positive that I’ll be able to--”

“Reschedule.”

“...Yes, sir.”

The (H/C) haired girl dejectedly sulked over to her bag and picked it up. She fasted it onto her back and went to leave when she saw Natsu stand at the line and prepare his attempt. She scoffed and went to leave, but the whole room heated up to the point where she was sweating. Taking a look over at him, she saw that fire had begun to whip around him.

_Fire magic? I wouldn’t have ever guessed Natsu was a fire element mage._

A loud gasp escaped her when she saw his flames hit the MPF with such force that the stream of fire flared out around the device. Her shock increased when she read the score.

“8402? Impressive. Pass.”

Natsu’s eyes met (Y/N)’s and he smirked. He got his score report from Jura and walked over to his back on the other side of the gym. (Y/N) couldn’t help it. Without her permission, her legs brought her across the gym to stand right beside the fire mage.

“How did you do that?”

“Do what? It should be pretty self explanatory, oh smart one. You just hit it.”

“But how were you able to get such a high score? Why would you want to tamper with the MPF if you knew you would get a high score without it?”

“I don’t think you realize what I was trying to do. I was trying to increase the resistance, not make it easier. Good thing I didn’t though. God, could you imagine your score if I did?”

He laughed and tossed his bag over his shoulder. 

“Now if you excuse me, I have to mess shit up.”

(Y/N) cursed at herself for her next actions, but she deemed it necessary for her academic success.

“Will you help me pass?”

“Help you pass? What am I, some type of tutor?”

“Please? I have to pass the next time or else I’ll get kicked out. I try so hard but I always end up letting my nerves get the better of me.”

“That sounds like a personal problem. I can’t help with that.”

“But you can help me make sure that my spell hits harder,” she explained. “And if I can figure out how to do that, I don’t have to worry about my nerves because I’d still be able to do it.”

Natsu sighed loudly and waved her over to the MPF again. He slapped the orb, causing a 178 score. 

“There.”

“There...what?”

“Any time I use one of these I gotta reset it or else it just breaks.”

“You’ve gotten a breaking score before?” She breathed. “How?”

“By not resetting it. Duh. Here, hit it with something.”

She thought for a minute before holding her hands in front of her and casting a spell. It hit the MPF forcefully and when the air cleared, there was a 1753 score.

“How is it weaker than last time?!” She shouted.

“Wow, you suck.”

Her head whipped around to give him a threatening look. He just laughed it off and joined her side. 

“You gotta relax. You’re way too uptight. Go like this…”

Natsu took in a deep breath before using a jet of fire that shot out of his mouth. 

“9200? H-How?”

“You gotta use a spell that actually hits hard or else it won’t work. Try a different spell or something.”

After saying this, Natsu went over to the device and slapped it again, reseting it. He then grabbed his bag off his back and laid it on the ground behind (Y/N), laying on the floor and using it as a pillow. 

“Try.”

A beam of magic energy shot out of her hand, and a score of 2010 was recorded. She smiled wide and jumped up, saying that she would surely pass next time.

“You’re barely even passing. Your nerves are gonna shoot you again. You gotta get it higher.”

“How are you so good at this? You don’t do anything in school other than cause trouble.”

“What can I say? I’m just talented.”

“This is stupid. I’ve studied everything three times over. I pay attention to everything the teachers say and I go to all the practices. And you just skip class all the time and get a breaking score.”

He winked and went to leave the gym again when she stopped him.

“...Will you please help me until my next exam? I can’t fail again, and I really need your help.”

“Aw, are you enlisting help from a law breaker?”

“I have no other choice,” she muttered.

\---------------

“2476? Better.”

Her breathing was ragged, and sweat was dripping down her face. They had been at it for an hour, and Natsu’s fire was starting to get to her.

“Can we take a break? You’re too hot.”

Natsu chuckled and went to say something sarcastic when she very quickly clarified that she was talking about his fire.

“That’s no fun. I was about to say it back to you. We could’ve had a moment.”

“Oh shut up. You wouldn’t have meant it anyway.”

Natsu’s eyes slid over to the side to look at her and averted them when she turned to him. He cracked his knuckles and headbutted the MPF.

9071

“I’m never gonna do it,” she screamed. “How can you just knock your head against it and get that?”

“You gotta infuse your magic into it.”

\-------------------

2904

“Did you see that?! It’s almost three thousand.”

She looked over and Natsu wasn’t there. Confused, she scanned the gym and couldn’t find him anywhere. The door swung open, and Natsu rushed inside, throwing his bag over toward the wall and standing suspiciously by (Y/N).

“Where were you? And why are you--”

“Natsu Dragneel!”

Natsu looked innocently up at the teacher and tilted his head.

“Yes?”

“You should be expelled for what you just did--”

“But I didn’t do anything. I’ve been here helping her pass her MPFs.”

The teacher looked over at Natsu’s backpack that sat on the floor and followed the floor until he landed on (Y/N) looking at him, shocked.

“I don’t believe you at all, but fortunately for you, I can’t prove anything. So I have no other choice. Next time, you’re out. I don’t care how much latent talent you have. Being a full fledged mage takes more than skill.”

“Of course, sir. I would never dream of crossing you.”

The teacher left (Y/N) standing there, completely confused.

“What the hell did you do?”

“I needed to study for the test coming up,” he coolly replied.

“You stole the answers,” she mumbled, earning a wide grin from the fire mage.

She jumped when she felt him guide her arms in front of her. He stood behind her with his chest resting against her back. A silent gasp formed in her mouth as she felt the pressure on her back. She couldn’t help but blush at the contact, her whole body heating up, not knowing what was making her hotter - the fire magic radiating off him or her embarrassment. Her arms followed his movements, and magic energy sparked in her palms before rushing at the MPF.

3131

“Getting better.”

“Um, thank you.”

Natsu’s arms left her, leaving her with an empty sensation that rushed up her spine. She mentally scolded herself and brushed it off as the sudden absence of heat.

“How high can you get it by just punching it?” (Y/N) asked because, for some reason, she didn’t want to leave yet.

Natsu shrugged and walked up to the MPF and punched it.

5452

“F-From just a punch?”

“You should see one of the guys in the stage above us,” Natsu said, referring to the Class B mages. “That guy almost broke the thing.”

(Y/N) breathed out a ‘wow’ as she stood there, still impressed at Natsu’s score. The pink haired boy grabbed his bag and waved her off before disappearing down the hall.

“Wait!”

He backtracked into the gym again and raised his eyebrow at her. Her mouth opened and shut a couple times.

“Well?”

“I, uh, I don’t know.”

He looked at her weird before turning back towards the hallway. (Y/N) scoffed at herself and picked up her bag. 

“What the heck was that?”

\------------------

“Just do it already,” Natsu drawled. “It’s not gonna move on you.”

2405

“What?” She yelled. “How did I go down?!”

“Because you’re lacking the strength you need. You gotta stop getting in your own way.”

(Y/N) glared at him. However, her mind was somewhere else. Her eyes rested on his jawline, and a shock ran up her back. Natsu looked up from his video lacrima and turned towards her. 

“Ready to go again?”

She nodded and told herself to focus. Turning to the MPF, she cast another spell, earning a 3249.

“See? You didn’t think and now you got a higher score. You gotta relax.”

“Yeah? I can’t relax as much as you. I actually care.”

“Hey, me relaxing got me a score over eight thousand. So maybe you should take after me for a little.”

The (H/C) haired mage went to argue, but she stopped herself when she saw him staring at her. He quickly looked away and grabbed her by her shoulders, guiding her back over to the MPF. He stood behind her again and grabbed her arms. 

“Uh, why do you do this?”

“Because it makes you nervous. You have to learn how to work through her nerves.”

“It does not make me nervous,” she argued.

“I’m a fire mage, (Y/N). I can detect changing temperatures.”

She mentally screamed in embarrassment and concentrated all her energy into her palms. A ray of magic energy darted towards the orb, creating a haze of smoke as the spell dissipated. 

4020

“Holy shit,” she laughed. “Did you see that?”

“Maybe I should do this more often.”

“That wasn’t why,” she defended.

He hummed and slapped the MPF. He leaned his back on it and blatantly scanned her. (Y/N) saw and huffed before walking over to her bag and sitting down, getting a drink of water. Natsu joined her and sat with his legs folded. The close proximity was throwing her off, and she couldn’t really think straight. She could feel the heat that radiated off him. It warmed the whole room, now that she thought about it. He leaned back and laid on the floor while he waited for her to finish with her break. Her eyes betrayed her, and it was her turn to run them over him. 

\-------------------

“Your test is tomorrow, so we better get going.”

(Y/N) nodded and stood in front of the MPF, blasting it with her magic. The dust cleared, and 5531 popped up. She smiled victoriously and turned to Natsu for approval. He rolled his eyes playfully and gave her a thumbs up before flicking the orb. They worked like this for an hour, and by then (Y/N) was exhausted. She wobbled over to the wall where her stuff was and sat down for a break. Natsu joined her and gave her a bright grin. 

“So what’s my reward for helping you along this far?” He teased.

“Oh, uh. I don’t know. What do you want?”

“I think if you pass I should be able to get a thank you kiss,” he threw back.

“W-What? No! Why would I…”

She wouldn’t admit it, especially not to him, but she had no problem with that anymore. Sure, he was a slacker, a troublemaker, a ridiculously overconfident asshole. But he wasn’t an _asshole_ asshole. He was actually sweet when he was taken out of a school structure. She had grown to see the things that made him admirable. He was strong, yes. But he was also smart, whether or not he wanted people to know. 

“Because I’ve spent all this time helping you and I think it would be best for the both of us,” he quipped. 

She battled with herself. It was no mistake that she had grown to like him, but she wasn’t going to say that. She was supposed to hate him. He was everything that the Academy looked down on, but here she was, thinking about him all the time, missing his touch whenever he would step away from her, involuntarily smiling whenever he said something. She couldn’t let herself though.

“No. I’ll buy you lunch or something instead.”

Natsu pouted, but he laughed nonetheless. 

\----------------

The day was here. Her final chance at the MPF exam. She robotically stepped into the gym, staring down the device that she had gotten used to seeing for the last month. (Y/N) heard someone come in after her, so she turned around and jumped.

“Natsu? What the heck are you doing here?”

“Figured I could cheer you on. And then I’ll be right here for my lunch.”

She rolled her eyes and dropped her bag along the wall. 

“Do one more try for a warm-up.”

(Y/N) took her stance and sent a large beam of mana at the MPF, a 5397 popping up. She smiled brightly at the pink haired boy who returned it. The proctor came in seconds later, and Natsu wished her luck before leaning against the wall. (Y/N) looked up at the proctor and paled when she saw it was another Wizard Saint and headmaster of the Academy, Makarov. Natsu groaned when he saw her reaction.

“She’s gonna choke again, isn’t she?”

(Y/N) stood tensely in front of the line and nodded curtly when she was instructed to begin. She took in a deep breath and quickly shot out magic energy and watched as it slammed into the MPF. She smiled, confident that she had finally conquered the dreaded MPF exam. Her smile dropped when she saw the number.

“Miss (L/N), you needed to get at least two thousand.”

Tears pooled in her eyes when she saw the 1989 that glared back at her. 

“Sir, if I could just get one more try,” she begged. “I know I can--”

“My decision is final.”

“But...but I just got a score about five thousand a couple minutes ago,” she weakly forced out, her tears starting to fall. 

“I know.”

(Y/N) looked up and sniffled, confusedly asking, “Y-You do?”

“You see, I was following this boy,” he explained as he pointed an accusing finger at Natsu, “because he had snuck into my office and set some important papers on fire. And he just so happened to sneak in here. I was outside the gym and saw your score.”

“So does that mean…”

“Congratulations, (Y/N). You passed your MPF exam and may continue to study at the Academy.”

“Really?” She shouted excitedly. “You mean it? I’m not dropped from the program? I can still be a wizard?”

Makarov chuckled and nodded his head, congratulating her again before handing her the score report. He left, leaving Natsu and (Y/N) alone in the gym. 

“Did you see that?! I totally passed!” 

Natsu gave a small smile and grabbed both of their backpacks, saying that they should go to the cafeteria to get his free lunch.

“Wait.”

Natsu stopped walking and raised an eyebrow.

“Did you...do that on purpose?” She tested. “Did you get in trouble to lure him here early and then tell me to practice knowing he would see it? Did you do that?”

The pink haired boy laughed loudly at her confusion and gave a lopsided grin, simply saying, “You have a habit of choking at important times.”

She took in his words and slowly approached him.

“Natsu?”

“Yes?”

“Kiss me.”

Natsu dropped the bags on the floor and took her face in his hands, slowly bringing her closer until their lips met. (Y/N) gripped the section of his shirt by his chest and closed her eyes to take in the feeling. They broke apart, one of Natsu’s hands taking one of hers and pulling her towards the exit. 

“Where’re we--”

“To get my free lunch,” he stated matter-of-factly.

“But you got the kiss!” She protested. “You can’t have both.”

“ _Actually_ , you said I couldn’t have a kiss as part of the deal, and you said a free lunch instead. And I agreed to that deal. You were the one who asked for me to kiss you, so it’s not part of the deal.”

(Y/N) scoffed, but her smile returned when she looked at her passing grade on the score report.

“Fine. I guess I can get you lunch.”


	57. Shy!Natsu x Extrovert!Reader: Mushroom [requested]

Natsu was never a very outgoing person. Whether it was ordering at the bar or going on requests, there was always a cloud of hesitancy following him. He became even more timid when a certain wizard joined the guild. 

There was no doubt that (Y/N) was outgoing, and there wasn’t a time where she would shy away from an interaction. In fact, she loved engaging in conversation with someone. Chatting with her guild mates, conversing with request holders, even addressing the members of the Magic Council. She held no social fear, and Natsu admired her for it. 

“Hey Natsu! What’s going on?”

Natsu was taken back by the sudden voice, as he jolted. (Y/N) giggled and apologized before grabbing his hand and dragging him over to the request board. 

“Wanna go on a request? I found this really cool one, but it needs a fire mage.”

“Oh, uh, I mean—”

“Come on, it’ll be fun! It’s an overnight request, so we can have a sleepover! Isn’t that cool?”

“O-Overnight?”

“It pays good,” (Y/N) reasoned when she saw his resistance. 

“I, um, well I guess I could go.”

“Great!”

She hopped away and took the paper off the request board and handed it over to Mira. A smile stretched across her face as she turned around to face the fire mage. Natsu smiled sheepishly at her cheerful demeanor and followed her down the street to the edge of town. 

“I figured we could walk,” she started before her tone turned to teasing, “because it’s close enough and your stomach can’t take the train.”

Natsu blushed deeply and quickly gave a small ‘sorry’ as he struggled to speak. Embarrassment flooded through him, and he couldn’t look in her eyes. 

“Don’t worry about it, Natsu. I enjoy walking anyway. Just means that we’ll have to check into an inn when we get there.”

They started their walk through the forest and made their way to the nearby town. The request was easy: use fire to burn away an infestation of mushrooms. They weren’t dangerous, but very inconvenient for the townspeople. (Y/N) had quickly taken it due to the reward, but she had realized that she needed a fire mage. This didn’t bother her at all, as she had wanted to ask Natsu on a request for a while. She didn’t mind admitting it - she held a certain fondness for the dragon slayer, and going on a request with just the two of them worked out perfectly. 

“So Natsu,” came her cheerful voice, “has anything interesting been happening lately? I haven’t had time to go to the guildhall a lot.”

“Um, there’s a party going on in a couple days.”

“A party? For what?”

“I think Gramps said it was for the fact that we went two weeks without the Magic Council getting involved.”

(Y/N) laughed loudly and smiled wide. 

“I guess that does call for celebration,” she joked. 

Natsu slowly nodded his head and continued to walk behind her. (Y/N) turned back to him again.

“Where’s Happy?”

“He didn’t feel well,” he said regrettably, missing his friend that would provide a blanket of comfort for him.

“Aw, I hope he gets better soon.”

She dropped back so they were walking side by side and stretched her arms out in front of her. She continued to talk, even when he gave no response. 

“...And then I was like ‘woah no way’ and he was like ‘no really you can take it’ and then he handed me the reward anyway! Isn’t that cool?”

Natsu gave a nervous ‘mmhmm’ and continued to walk with his head down. He almost died right on the spot when she grabbed his hand and started tugging him through the forest. 

“Come on, we’re almost there and my feet are getting tired.” 

They made it through the forest and to the town, and (Y/N)’s eyes lit up when she saw a bakery.

“Can we go? Please?”

Natsu nodded, his eyes trained on a cupcake that sat in the window. (Y/N) rushed inside and took a seat by the window. The dragon slayer followed her in and took the seat across from her, folding his hands on the table. They ordered their desserts and happily ate. 

“Never pinned you for a cupcake person. I just thought you only liked fish.”

Natsu nervously laughed at her joking and said that he liked basically every food. (Y/N) giggled and turned back to her slice of cake, humming happily. 

“So I was thinking that we should hang out more.”

“Me? Why?”

(Y/N) giggled and pointed her fork at him, revealing, “Because I enjoy your company. You’re fun to talk to.”

“Really?” He questioned, hope lacing his voice.

“Besides, you’re like the only person to not get annoyed with me.”

Natsu chuckled and continued to eat his cupcake. Once they were finished, they paid and left, heading towards the inn. They checked into a room and set their stuff down and made their way to the house of the requester. The person gave them the necessary information and sent them in the direction of the infestation. 

“So, uh, why did you take this request if you couldn’t do anything?”

“I wanted to spend time with you of course!”

“No seriously.”

“I needed something different to do, and I figured I would try to do something I’ve always wanted to do.”

“...Mushroom infestation? Are you sure that’s what you really wanna do with your time?”

“I’m talking about hanging out with you, Natsu.”

Natsu stopped walking and looked at her weird, suspiciously asking her why.

“You’re always hanging out with Happy and Lucy, and I always wanted to join you, but I figured that it would mess up the dynamic you were comfortable with. So I decided to do this instead! Pretty smart, right?”

Natsu blinked a couple times before his face erupted into a strong scarlet. (Y/N) looked back and smiled at him, winking and turning back to the road in front of her. The dragon slayer quickly jogged to catch up to her and started to list off questions.

“Are you sure?”

“Yes.”

“And I just never noticed?”

“Also yes.”

“Why?”

“You intrigue me, Natsu Dragneel.”

“Why?”

“I’ve always wanted to get to know you more, but you seemed like the type of person to shut down when dealing with a strong personality. And believe me, I’ve been scolded enough times by the guild about being ‘too much’ that I figured it would scare you away.”

“Woah.”

“What’s up?”

“I just...I, uh, well I guess I’m saying that I kinda wanted to hang out with you too.”

(Y/N) gave a lopsided grin and dropped back again. She swung her arm around his shoulder and laughed. 

“Good. Now you can’t get rid of me. Now let’s get this mushroom thing done so you can take me out for dinner.”

“...What?”

“Well I’m not gonna pay if you’re taking me on a date. That’s just rude.”

“D-Date?”

“Well yeah. That was the whole point.”

Natsu looked at her with wide eyes and dilated pupils, trying to take in the information that was being thrown at him. 

“Huh?!”


	58. Natsu x Reader: Worry [requested]

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SPOILERS: TARTAROS ARC. Also I altered the fight a little so it would work with the plot.

**SPOILERS: TARTAROS ARC**

Natsu’s ears perked up as he continued to battle Temperster. Her magic was very distinct. He had always been able to sense when she used it, his ears being very sensitive already. Worry gripped at his brain as he envisions any possible dangers that she was facing. She could take care of herself, sure. She was powerful enough to go toe to toe with him going all out, something he admired. But he couldn’t help but picture the worst. They were, afterall, up against demons. Demons that were very powerful. The ones that even the strongest members of Fairy Tail were struggling against. 

He tried to push it away. He tried to focus, he really did. But his anxiety was getting the better of him. With every passing second, the sound of her magic grew more prominent in his ears. You see, her and Wendy were tasked with stopping the Faces at the source, and from the sound of it, they had run into some trouble. 

“Will you focus already, Salamander?” Gajeel grunted.

Natsu narrowed his eyes at his black haired friend and went to bite back at him, but the two demons lunged at them before he could. The fire mage scoffed before punching Tempester. He was pushed back, and gripped the ground to stop himself from sliding too far back. 

His ears twitched again and he groaned.

“This is so unfair!” He yelled. 

“Why do you worry, human? Your friend will surely meet his demise as he faces Torafuzar. You are all but specs in our plan.”

“Who, Gajeel?” Natsu questioned before he shrugged and casually waved it off, “Yeah I’m not even thinking about him.”

“What was that, Salamander?”

“You heard me.”

The demons lunged at them again, and they jumped back just in time to evade their attacks. Natsu looked in the direction of the noise and pressed his lips into a thin line. His mind was completely distracted and he had a hard time trying to come up with a quick plan of attack. He ended up settling for his usual plan. That is, to not have one. It would work best for the situation, he reasoned. Fire engulfed his fists and he tried to land a hit on Tempester, but the demon was able to weave around him. 

Natsu let out a ‘tsk’ and cast a Roar at him. He froze when he heard her magic again, but it was more frantic and rushed. His head whipped behind him, facing the source of noise. He jumped when a voice appeared in his head. 

_Stop worrying._

Her familiar voice soothed him, but it didn’t stop his fear of the unknown. 

_Natsu, I’m fine. You need to focus on your own mission. I have Wendy and Charle with me to help._

_I have a right to be worried. Did you run into trouble?_

_His name is Ezel. We have it covered._

Natsu shook his head and turned back to the two demons, punching his hand, flames sparking around him. 

“Let’s do this.”

“Well it’s about time,” Gajeel drawled. 

“Shut up!”

They continued to fight, but he stopped moving completely when he heard a huge explosion. It was coming from the same direction as her location. His eyes widened and his breath hitched. He listened for any noise to signal her safety, but none came. 

_Are you there?_

He was met with a deathly silence. A low growl was heard from the dragon slayer before he activated his dual mode and lunged at the demons again, his pupils rapidly shrinking and growing in size. 

“Natsu,” Lucy called, “what happened?”

He didn’t answer, opting to headbutt one of the demons. They were soon submerged into a black water, and the world became fuzzy. He tried to resist the effects of the water, but it proved too much. 

\-----------------

After Gajeel had defeated Torafuzar, the water retreated and they had all stirred as they regained consciousness. Natsu’s head swung up and he quickly stood up. 

_Can you hear me?_

Nothing. 

“Natsu, what’s wrong?”

He answered Lucy without his eyes leaving the far direction, “There was a massive explosion and she stopped communicating.”

“Where’s Warren? I’m sure we can get him to project something to her and Wendy.”

“I’ve been trying.”

“No offense, Salamander, but you can use telepathy.”

“Shut it, bolts. I can use it just fine with her.”

“Yeah, when she initiates it with her telepathy. You can’t start it for the life of you.”

Natsu growled and went to yell at him again when Tempester stood up and prepared to continue their battle.

“I’m not dealing with you right now,” Natsu declared as he held out his hand in a ‘stop’ gesture. 

“You have no choice, human.”

_Natsu, you idiot. What did I say about worrying?_

The dragon slayer smiled wide at the sound of her voice.

_You worried me._

_I could tell. All three of us are fine. Mest came and teleported us to a safer spot. We have a problem though._

_What?_

_That demon asshole ripped my pants._

Natsu laughed at her casual demeanor.

_Don’t laugh, Dragneel. They were my favorite pants._

He faced Tempester and sent another Roar at him, following up with his Iron Fist. His Talon came seconds later, and everyone looked on as fire surrounded them. 

“He either got really good news or really bad news and I can’t tell which,” Gajeel commented. 

Lucy answered, “I’m going with good news. He’s not shouting.”

Laxus soon arrived, and he lended a hand in defeating the demon. Natsu heard her again. She was closer this time. Very close.

_Where are you?_

_Follow the trail of black water._

_That stuff is everywhere, idiot. It’s water._

_Uh, by a bunch of rubble._

_You’re infuriating sometimes._

Her voice disappeared, but Lucy jumped in surprise a second later, showing that she had turned to Lucy for directions. She had arrived a little while later and crossed her arms. Natsu smiled wide and went to hug her, but she stepped back and started to scold him, saying that he should learn to focus on the fight in front of him instead of worrying about her every second. Natsu rubbed the back of his head and laughed nervously as he listened to her lecture. 

“I love you?” He tested.

She rolled her eyes and smacked his arm, but a small smile crept onto her face.

“I love you too. But please stop letting your worry affect your ability to fight. You’re gonna get yourself seriously injured.”

“I can’t promise anything.”


	59. Natsu x Reader: Chilly [requested]

(Y/N) grabbed the blanket tighter as she folded herself into it, tucking the blanket into every crevice. She bunched the blanket under her knees and into her elbow, ducking down so her head was welcomed into the small cocoon that she had formed. Hot breaths were blown towards her hands as she tried to warm herself up. Her one blanket just wasn’t cutting it, so she took in a deep breath before popping her head out, causing a cold sensation to dance across her face. 

A loud sigh was heard as she jumped off the couch and padded across the house to the hallway closet. She spotted the stack of blankets and smiled wide. The blankets were grabbed as she stood on her toes, and they were quickly brought down before feet darted back to the couch. (Y/N) puffed out her chest at the small victory and opened all the blankets, jumping under them. Her body shook, the cold going to her bones. 

She heard a small laugh. Her head once again peeked out, her eyes landing on Natsu as he stood in the frame of the front door. His eyes held amusement as he watched her underneath multiple heavy blankets.

“Cold again, love?”

“It’s not funny,” she muttered.

Natsu dropped the groceries down into the kitchen and started to put them away. Her curiosity got the better of her, so she took the thickest blanket and wrapped it around herself before making her way to the kitchen to see what he bought. He was crouching as he put stuff into the lower cabinets, so she was able to spy over his shoulder and into the bag.

“Did you get some rice?”

“You never told me which kind, so I just grabbed the one we usually use.”

“Did you get bread?”

“Of course I did.”

“And what about--”

Natsu stood up and stretched before spinning around and placing his hand on her cheek.

“You gave me a list, remember?”

She inched closer to him, and hugged him. A small vibration was caused by his chuckle. Warm arms engulfed her, and she pressed herself against him. She felt him push her backwards towards the living room, so she peeked up at him in confusion.

“Where’re you taking me?”

“To your little castle.”

They reached the couch and (Y/N) crawled back into her blankets. She looked up at him expectantly, causing another laugh. 

“Come cuddle.”

“I have to make dinner.”

“Cooking fish takes like two seconds with your fire. I need your warmth.”

She heard shuffling and afterwards the couch dipped. 

“Can I come in?” Natsu joked.

(Y/N) made a small opening for him to slide in and scooted closer to him once he was next to her. She draped her arms across his stomach and wiggled his arm up so that she could nestle into his side. Her body took in the heat that he gave off and let out a contented breath. Natsu looked down and took in her features, a small smile gracing his face. He went to get up to get something when (Y/N) tightened her hold on him.

“Noo,” she whined, “you have to stay.”

“I’ll be right back, (N/N),” came his entertained explanation. “I’m just getting some water.”

“Take me with you.”

Natsu locked eyes with her, seeing that she was completely serious, and stood up, wrapping her up in a blanket and lifting her off the couch. (Y/N) beamed and cuddled into his chest as he walked them back to the kitchen. He steadied her with one arm and got a cup of water with his other. 

“This isn’t gonna work, love.”

(Y/N) slid out of his hold and placed her feet on the floor, shivering at the cold that the surface shot through her. She waddled back to the couch and waved him towards her. He shook his head, a smile present. Seconds later, they were both curled up in the blankets. 

“You’re warm. It’s nice.”

Natsu brought a hand up to stroke her hair and kissed the top of her head. He felt her snuggle into him again and rested his hand across her shoulder, curling it around her to pull her closer. He used his other hand to grab the back of her knees and swing her legs so they stretched over his lap, pushing on her lower back to bring her towards him. 

“You’re the best cuddler,” she whispered.

“You’re just saying that because I’m warm.”

A small giggle sounded from (Y/N) and she tilted her head up to kiss the underside of his jaw. Her hand sprawled across the side of his face, her thumb running over his cheek. 

“Your hands are cold.”

(Y/N) rolled her eyes and stated that it was because she herself was cold. He took her hands and cupped them in his, pressing them together for warmth.

“You should just breathe fire on me and then I’ll be warm.”

“Yeah, and severely burned.”

He looked at her lopsided grin and leaned down to kiss her nose. Her giggles returned when he started to trail kisses from her nose to her shoulder and back up to her cheek. She squirmed when he started to run his hand over her thigh and gave him a quick kiss before she leaned on him and closed her eyes. 

“Tired?”

“Cold.”

“I kinda figured,” he teased.

Her breathing started to slow, so Natsu shifted again, turning and leaning back across the couch. (Y/N) quickly followed his movements, laying on top of him with her head on his chest. She grabbed his right hand in her left one and fisted his vest with her other. 

“I really like your snuggles,” she stated. 

“I really like you,” he countered.

“Really? Because I love you.”

Natsu laughed lowly and lifted his head to kiss her temple. She had fallen asleep by this point, leaving Natsu to watch her slowly breathe.

“I love you too.”

\----------------

Happy had convinced Lucy to help him carry back the fish that he had caught, saying it was sure to surprise (Y/N) and Natsu. Lucy had reluctantly agreed and followed the exceed to their house. Happy unlocked the door and slowly pushed it open. 

“Happy,” Lucy started after seeing the dark house, “are you sure either of them are here?”

“Natsu said he was coming home to check on (Y/N) earlier.”

Lucy quietly turned on the lacrima, lighting the main room with a dim light. She laughed when she saw the couple asleep on the couch covered in a massive pile of blankets. 

“I guess she was cold again.”

“When isn’t she?” Happy added.


	60. Natsu x Dying!Reader (Part 2): Wind [requested]

Natsu had refused to go to the guildhall. Nobody had seen him since (Y/N)’s passing. They didn’t blame him, of course, but they were very worried about him. Everyone had rushed into the infirmary after they heard Natsu’s scream, and they were met with the scene they would never forget: Natsu crouched on the floor next to the bed, his head resting on his knees as the tears overwhelmed him. Porlyusica had filled the rest of the guild in on the situation, and they all gasped. 

“But Miss Porlyusica,” Wendy spoke, “she was just fine earlier. She was just coughing.”

Natsu spoke, void of emotion as he picked himself up from the floor, “Curse.”

It was the only thing he could manage to get out in his state. He had pushed past his friends and exited the infirmary, disappearing into the streets. Wendy went to follow him when Makarov cut through the silence.

“Leave him be. He needs time.”

Ever since that day, nobody had seen or heard from Natsu. Happy came to the guildhall one day, panicking and crying because he couldn’t find Natsu anywhere. He looked all over Magnolia and came up empty, and he didn’t know what to do other than go to the guild to ask for help. 

“Has _anyone_ heard from him?” Makarov addressed the guild.

They all shook their heads, worry in their eyes. The Fairy Tail master sighed and walked towards the doors. 

“Master, are you going to look for him?”

“I think that it’s best to know where he is.”

“Master’s right,” Erza stated. “He shouldn’t be alone at a time like this. He needs family and friends with him.”

\-------------------------

Natsu adjusted the bag on his back and fixed the collar on his cloak as he made his way through the forest. He had been walking for five hours at this time, and he pushed away the pounding in his feet to continue. He couldn’t get her voice out of his head. 

_“Natsu...I’m scared.”_

He never wanted her to feel fear, and he had always tried his best to prevent her from having to worry about safety. For her to say those words to him cut him down. Those were her last words, and he couldn’t do anything to ease her fear of the unknown. His hands tightened their grip on his bag straps and he stopped walking for a few seconds, looking up to the sky and taking in a deep breath.

“You always liked looking at the clouds,” he mumbled, speaking to the presence he had pretended was there. 

He sighed and continued walking, his whole body aching. He made it out of the forest and looked at the border to Bosco. His jaw clenched and his eyes narrowed. 

“I promise you,” he sternly stated. “I promise you that they’ll pay for this.”

He set up camp for the night, laying on the ground without any blankets or sleeping bag. He laid with his hands behind his head as he looked up at the stars. One star in particular twinkled like none of the others, eliciting a sad laugh from him.

“I always knew you’d be a star.”

Sleep, like all the nights before, proved to be a challenge for him that he had yet to overcome. The night was spent watching the stars and thinking of his plan. Morning came, and Natsu grabbed his bag to continue on his journey. At about midday, Natsu had reached another forest. He rummaged through his bag and took out a map, looking at it carefully. 

“This map makes no sense!” He angrily shouted.

A strong breeze blew past him, ripping the map out of his hands. It landed on the ground a few feet away from him. He growled and stomped over to it. He blinked a few times when he looked at it, a small ‘oh’ coming from his mouth when he realized he was looking at it upside down. A gentler breeze surrounded him, which made him smile.

“Yeah yeah. I know. I always do this.”

He studied the map again, able to read it this time, and trekked through the mass of trees. He came to the clearing and spotted the road he was looking for. Hoisting up his bag again, Natsu’s feet carried him down the dirt road in the direction of his destination. His stomach growled loudly when he passed by the town. After debating with himself, he decided to stop for something to eat. The waitress greeted him and asked him what he wanted. A small order was placed: a single fish and nothing else. The days after (Y/N)’s passing had shot his appetite; any time he would try to eat, his stomach turned. It brought back too many memories. He thought back to how they had met.

_They were both eating in the same diner, and Natsu had realized that he had forgotten his wallet. (Y/N) had walked over and paid for his (very large) meal before trying to disappear into the night. He had caught up to her and thanked her, introducing himself and Happy to her. She smiled brightly and returned his greetings. Their journey had started that night. It was the next morning when Natsu had realized he had no way of contacting her, so he ran around Magnolia, quizzing the townspeople until they had pointed him to a house by the diner they had been in the night prior. He stood at her door, knocking and flashing a grin as he rubbed the back of his head._

_“I never got to thank you properly. Did you want to get something to eat? I have my wallet this time, promise.”_

Natsu picked at his food, and he was only able to eat about half before he started to feel sick. He paid and went on his way, kicking pebbles that he crossed on the road. His nose twitched and his eyes narrowed. 

“Found you.”

He picked up speed as he ran down the road, making his way to an abandoned-looking building concealed by large bushes. He placed his bag near the side of the house and took in a deep breath before kicking the door down. The woman inside jumped in fright and took a stance.

“Who are you?” She shouted. 

“You took something precious from me, and you’re gonna answer to that.”

“I’ve never met you in my life, boy.”

“(Y/N) (L/N),” was all he said. 

The woman’s face lit up in recognition.

“Ah, so you’re friends with that wretched man’s daughter. If I recall, her time expired shortly ago.”

“That’s why I’m here,” he repeated, cracking his knuckles. “I’m here to make you regret your decision to ever lay a single speck of magic on her.”

The witch laughed maniacally and shot out a green beam at him. Natsu growled and sent his Roar at her, singing her left arm and burning away the side of her shirt. 

“You’re going to be a very troublesome little rat, aren’t you?” She snapped as she rubbed her side. “I have no problem cursing you as well.”

Natsu lunged at her, trapping her under him with his knees on her arms. He looked at her fearful eyes with his rapidly dilating ones. Another breeze had slipped into the building, blowing past the rocking chair and circling the pair. 

“Not now. I have to do this.”

The wind picked up, sending some books flying off the shelves. Natsu looked up, startled. He scanned the room. His eyes landed on a book that he had become familiar with over the years.

_“It’s a book on Edolas. I found it in the library earlier today. Isn’t that cool? I never even knew information about Edolas existed outside of those that have actually been there.”_

_Natsu looked up from his food and grinned, taking in her happiness. (Y/N) brought the book over to him and started to read it._

_“It even has information on Mystogan!”_

_She sat down at the table and started to speak animatedly, waving her arms in the air as she spoke._

His eyes softened at the sight of the book and he sighed loudly, allowing the witch to wiggle out of his hold. Natsu stood up and snatched the book from the floor before heading towards the door.

“Why did you spare me? You could have very easily overpowered me.”

“Because,” Natsu forced out. “She didn’t like violence, and I want to respect her wishes.”

“That’s--”

He slowly turned his head and gave her a menacing look before continuing, “Just know that your life was spared by the person who had their life taken away by you. Otherwise, I will have no problem begging for forgiveness from her after you get what you deserve.”

The witch quickly nodded and darted up to shut the door as soon as he crossed the threshold to leave, frantically locking the door so he couldn’t go back in. Natsu opened his bag and stuck the book inside before he closed it and threw it over his back. 

\----------------------

Natsu crossed the border to Magnolia and took in a deep breath to process the familiar smells. He started back towards the guildhall when he was approached in the forest by a familiar blue exceed.

“Happy? What’re you doing in the woods by yourself?”

“We came to find you. We missed you so much and everyone was worried that you ran away.”

Wendy came into view next and her face lit up when she saw the pink haired mage. 

“Mister Natsu, are you alright?”

Natsu quietly nodded and pushed both his friends towards the edge of the forest, saying he wanted to get home. They stopped by the guildhall once they returned to the main part of town. Everyone stood up when they saw Natsu and rushed over to him. 

“We’re so glad you’re safe.”

“We were worried sick about you.”

“Don’t run off like that without telling anyone. We thought something bad happened to you.”

“Why’re you wearing a cloak and packed for a month?”

“I had some healing I needed to go through,” Natsu dismissed. 

Makarov pushed through the crowds and looked up at Natsu knowingly.

“Did you make the right choice when it came time?”

“Yeah, but it feels gross. Hey Gramps, what do I do now?”

“You remember your time, and you hold those memories close. The world will guide you.”

Natsu groaned and exclaimed, “The world is very bossy lately. It got a new wind.”

Makarov and Natsu shared a knowing look and they both laughed sadly.

“Indeed it did.”


	61. Wendy's Brother!Natsu x Reader: Secret [requested]

“Hey (Y/N), do you think you could help me with something?”

(Y/N) looked up from her table and tilted her head.

“What’s up?”

“Can you help me watch Wendy?”

She smiled and quickly agreed, standing up and stepping closer to him.

“When do we start?” 

“Miss (Y/N), do you think you could hang out with me?” Wendy spoke, appearing from the front door.

“I already asked her for you, Wendy.”

“Does that mean you’re gonna come with us?”

“Of course! How could I ever pass up a chance to hang out with you?”

Natsu ushered them both out and started walking through the streets, Wendy and (Y/N) walking behind him and chatting excitedly. 

“Natsu said that we could train while he’s watching me. Are you gonna train as well?”

“Hmm,” she playfully thought, “I think I could. Are you still working on your new spell?”

“I almost have it. I was wondering if you could show me your new spell too.”

Natsu looked over his shoulder and waved them up, saying that they were almost to the forest. Wendy joined Natsu first, and (Y/N) looked on at the two siblings. She couldn’t deny that they got along well. At least a lot better than other siblings. Natsu was always kind to his little sister and Wendy looked up to Natsu a lot. She would always ask Natsu to train with her so she could get stronger, and he had always agreed. Nothing seemed to shake their strong bond, and (Y/N) admired them for that.

They reached the forest, and Wendy ran ahead to get to the spot where they usually trained. (Y/N) caught up to them and leaned on a nearby tree as she watched them prepare to spar. They both used their Roars, hitting each other’s attacks dead on. Wendy jumped out of the way when Natsu’s fire started to overwhelm her wind. She let out a whine once their spells disappeared. 

“You’re not playing fair, Natsu,” she complained. 

“What are you talking about? I used the same spell as you!”

“You’re supposed to be helping me, not trying to hurt me.”

“I’m not trying to hurt you! You need to get your spell stronger.”

“You almost killed me.”

(Y/N) looked back and forth between the two bickering siblings. Shock shot through her body as she watched the pair that she thought to be the perfect siblings. They were arguing with each other, and eventually Wendy started to pout and walked over to (Y/N). 

“He’s being mean, Miss (Y/N),” she whined. 

“I am not!”

(Y/N), still trying to recover, looked down to Wendy and asked the question that was on her mind: “You guys fight? Since when?”

“Did you seriously think we would never fight?” Natsu laughed. 

“Not at all.”

Wendy continued to stand in front of (Y/N) and quietly asked her to train her instead. (Y/N) smiled and pushed Wendy back into the sparring area. They began and Wendy went to use her Wing Attack, knocking (Y/N) back a few feet. She then cast her (spell type) spell and aimed it at Wendy’s feet. Wendy ended up getting stuck, not having enough time to get out of the way. The sky dragon slayer frowned when the spells disappeared. 

“I don’t wanna train anymore,” she said. “Can we do something else?”

“Well that was quick,” Natsu teased. 

Wendy turned to (Y/N) and asked if they could go get something to eat at the bakery, and (Y/N) nodded her head and started to guide them out of the forest. The three arrived at the bakeshop and sat down. They ordered a couple cupcakes and discussed upcoming jobs. 

“Hopefully Charle will be back soon.”

“Happy said they would be back by tomorrow.”

Wendy stared at (Y/N)’s cupcake intensely, causing (Y/N) to raise her eyebrow and ask her what she was doing.

“Well, your cupcake looked really good.”

(Y/N) giggled and handed the dessert over to the blue haired girl. Natsu rolled his eyes, but a smile was still present. 

“So what’s next?”

“We should go to the park,” Wendy suggested. “It would be cool to watch the clouds, and the park is really pretty.”

Natsu and (Y/N) looked to each other and agreed. They paid for their desserts and started out towards South Gate Park. Natsu brought them under a big tree that was in an opening where they had a clear view of the sky. Wendy took her spot near the opening and laid down to look at the clouds. Natsu tugged (Y/N) so they were sitting against the trunk of the tree and spoke to her quietly.

“Thanks for coming along today. She needed someone other than her big brother to watch her,” he joked. 

“I don’t mind at all. It was very enlightening to see the real dynamic of you two. It certainly threw me off though.”

Natsu chuckled and closed his eyes, leaning his head back to rest against the trunk. (Y/N) looked up to the sky and pointed to a cloud. 

“Look at that one. It looks like a dragon.”

Natsu cracked open his eyes and studied the cloud, remarking that it kind of resembled a baby dragon. 

“You’re right, Miss (Y/N). I see a dragon too!”

The three of them continued with this until it started to get dark. At that time, Natsu gathered them both and said that they should start to head back. Wendy sighed and picked herself up from the ground and turned to (Y/N). 

“Are you gonna come back home with us?”

“Me? Um, why would you want that?”

“Because I like you a lot and I still want to hang out with you,” she stated matter-of-factly. 

“Oh. I mean I guess I cou--”

“I mean, Natsu likes you too. But he likes you more than a friend, but I like you as a friend.”

(Y/N) started to blush and peeked over to Natsu to see that he held a look of shock. Once he recovered, he sent a glare at his sister. 

“Wendy!”

“What is it? Did you not want her to ever know? How are you supposed to date if you don’t tell her?”

“I...uh…”

The pink haired boy laughed nervously.

“Besides, (Y/N) likes you more than a friend too.”

“Wendy,” (Y/N) squeaked, “I don’t think--”

“What? I heard you and Lucy talking about it the other day.”

Natsu and (Y/N) looked at each other, sheepish smiles across their faces. 

“Can you guys date now, Miss (Y/N)? I think it would be cute.”

Natsu groaned and turned to (Y/N), rubbing the back of his head.

“So uh, thanks for helping me.”

“No Natsu, you’re supposed to ask her out.”

“Wendy,” he spoke through gritted teeth, “why don’t you go inside?”

Wendy waved her goodbyes and disappeared into the house. (Y/N) started giggling.

“What?”

“Thanks for letting me help. Maybe we can do this again sometime.”

“Uh, yeah sure. Maybe without Wendy?” Natsu tested. 

(Y/N) beamed and agreed before waving her goodbyes and heading back home. 

“Thanks Wendy,” she mumbled, speaking to herself.


	62. Detective!Natsu x Detective!Reader: Newbie

She always wanted to be a detective, so when she finally got the chance, she jumped at the opportunity. (Y/N) had only been an official detective for little over a year, which meant that she usually got the lower-level cases from the higher ups. She didn’t mind though. As long as she got to do the job she loved.

All the years that (Y/N) had been training and going to school to get the job she strived for, there was one person that she looked up to. An idol even. Mr. Dragneel, the most famous detective. He took on the most difficult cases, not to mention the amount of high profile cases he had solved. She strived to be like him in every way. The way that he seemed to connect things that no other person would was amazing in itself, but to be able to solve an entire cold case in a week was something unheard of. 

Her boss had asked her to come in early that day, so she did. Nerves started to spike, thinking that she was in trouble. You see, since she was a new detective, she seemed to get overlooked a lot by her coworkers and superiors. So when she was told to be the only person to come in, she automatically thought that she had done something wrong. 

After weaving her way through the halls, she knocked on the door to her sergeant and patiently waited for her to welcome her in. She heard a quiet ‘come in’ before she opened the door, awkwardly standing in the doorway as her sergeant fixed some files on her desk. 

“Sergeant Sophia, you asked for me?”

“Yes.”

“Um, why?”

Sophia had grabbed a case file from her desk drawer and tossed it on the desk, sliding it over toward (Y/N). The file folder sat on the edge of the desk before (Y/N) was instructed to take it. The large ‘URGENT’ stared back at her. She looked at it, wide eyed, before turning her attention back to her sergeant. 

“Congratulations, newbie. You’ve received your first big case.”

Her mouth hung open as she quickly flipped through the case file.

“But this is…”

“The homicide of a well-known CEO.”

“Are you sure you want me in this case? I mean, I’ve only had smaller cases before. Wouldn’t I need more experience?”

“You’ll have help.”

“Yeah but, I mean, I’m still just new to all this. I don’t think another detective is going to help me do something I don’t know how to do.”

Sophia smiled and waved behind (Y/N) for someone to come in. 

“I have a feeling this detective can help show you the ropes.”

(Y/N) looked over her shoulder and gasped. Standing there was the best detective of her time, the one with the best solve percentage of any detective in the area. Mr. Dragneel, the unbelievable detective that she had looked up to since she started her schooling. 

“So you’re the newbie?” Natsu teased. “Welcome aboard.”

She felt lightheaded, and she was convinced that she was going to faint. 

“I-I, I mean, you, uh, I mean, uhhh...hi?”

The star detective laughed at her attempt at an introduction and extended his hand to shake hers. She hesitantly reached out too, her trembling hands weakly shaking his. 

“So Sophia,” Natsu casually stated, “when do we start?”

“Well Mr. Dragneel, I just gave her the case file, so we will still have to brief her, but then you’re all set.”

“Don’t bother. I can brief her on the way.”

(Y/N) looked up at him in wonder, and she almost didn’t hear him when he asked her to follow him. Her attention snapped back to him, and she quickly took the case file and rushed after him so she wouldn’t be left behind. They got to the parking lot, and Natsu had told her that they should take his car, so she grabbed her stuff from hers and climbed in. She sat stiffly in the passenger’s seat and stared straight out the windshield, not trusting herself to stay calm otherwise. Natsu put his key in the ignition and looked over to her, raising an eyebrow. 

“You okay there?”

“Wha--of course! I’m, uh, just nervous.”

“We’ve all been there before, newbie. You get used to it pretty quickly. Sophia said this is your first big case, eh?”

“Sargeant Sophia gave me this case, but I have no idea why. I’m certainly not qualified to be working in such a high profile case, especially working with someone like you.”

“I see my reputation precedes me,” Natsu joked. “Don’t worry about that. You’re here to learn and work, so just follow my lead and you should be fine.”

She nodded curtly and buckled herself in. They arrived at the remains of the crime scene, everyone greeting Natsu and studying the girl beside him. 

One detective spoke up, “Who’re you?”

(Y/N) was too busy looking around the room to hear the question. Natsu tapped her on the shoulder, and her head whipped around to face him. 

“What’s your name, newbie?”

“Oh...uh, (Y/N) (L/N). I’m new.”

“We can tell,” the detective taunted. “Let me guess, your first big case?”

“How could you tell?”

Natsu responded, “You’re looking all around the scene without focusing on one thing. You gotta do the small things before you make a judgement about the whole thing. You could miss something important if you don’t pay attention to the details.”

“Oh, right. Of course.”

(Y/N) took in her surroundings, trying to find a part to focus on. They were in the CEO’s bedroom. There was a king sized bed against the far wall, which wore blood-covered sheets. Her eyes trailed over towards the nightstand where a set of keys and a wallet were sitting. She deducted that it was probably not a robbery since nothing was missing. A large blood stain was on the beige carpet, and there was a rope sitting by the foot of the bed.

“Why is there a rope here? Was it on the body?” She asked.

“Not from the reports,” Natsu answered. “They said they didn’t find him tied up. The rope was just sitting there unused.” 

She went over to get a closer look at it, and just before she could grab it she heard Natsu’s shouts.

“Don’t!”

Her hand hovered over the rope as she looked back at him, startled at his loud voice.

“You’re not wearing gloves, newbie. You’re gonna contaminate any DNA we get from it.”

“O-oh. I’m sorry.”

The other detective at the scene sighed and turned to Natsu, whispering, “You got a lot of work cut out for you, Mr. Dragneel. Good luck.”

And with that, the detective dismissed himself, saying that he would go check on the coroner for her analysis. (Y/N) apologized again and put her gloves on before picking the rope up.

“Do you think that the person ran out of time and couldn’t use the rope?”

“Or maybe he decided to go with blunt force instead when he found a weapon of opportunity.”

“How would you know that?”

Natsu pointed over to the nightstand and then to the other.

“That one has a lamp, and this one doesn’t. Seeing as people usually have two, and even if he did have only one, it would be on the side he slept, not the empty side. It’s most likely that the perp saw the lamp and decided it would get the job done quicker. Either that or there was a struggle and he couldn’t restrain him enough to use the rope.”

“He? How do you know?”

“Look at the footprint in the blood stain.”

(Y/N) looked over at the carpet by the bed and saw a footprint. 

“It’s a big shoe, which means it’s most likely a man. Either that, of a woman wearing men’s shoes.”

“Why would you say that?”

“Women’s shoes have a narrower heel, as well as a wider front of the foot.”

“You’re amazing,” she breathed. “I never would’ve--”

“You have to look close, newbie. Don’t get tied up on the obvious.”

“Right! Of course.”

“Bag the rope and see if you can find any evidence of the missing lamp. He probably took it with him to hide it, but check in case. You never know with homicides like this.” 

(Y/N) looked around and went to check by the bed before her foot went to step in the bloodstain.

“Newbie!” Came Natsu’s bark. 

She quickly looked down and squeaked out a ‘sorry!’ before stepping around the stain. Natsu pinched his nose and sighed, figuring out that it would be a long case.

\------------------------

“We’re going to interview the woman who was last seen with the victim. It’s a work visit. Think you can handle it?”

“Well, uh, I mean yes. What should I ask?”

“The usual questions. While you’re doing that I’m gonna head to the coroner.”

(Y/N) nodded and went to leave to visit the woman when she was stopped by Natsu.

“Newbie?”

“Yes, Mr. Dragneel?”

“Do you even know where you’re heading?”

“O-Oh. Oops.”

He turned to see that she was giving him a shy smile. She waited for the address and the name of the woman before waving off. After about fifteen minutes, (Y/N) had arrived at the office building. She flashed her badge at the security desk before taking the elevator up to the floor where the woman’s office was. 

“That’s so cool. I’ve always wanted to flash my badge.”

She caught herself getting distracted and cursed herself. After exiting the elevator, she made her way to the offices, asking for the woman, Ms. Alice Copper. The woman was sitting at her desk, making some calls and sorting papers. (Y/N) tapped on the opened door to catch her attention.

“Miss Copper?”

“Uh, yes? Can I help you?”

“I’m hoping so. You knew Mr. James Galot, correct?”

“Oh my. So it’s true then? He’s dead?”

(Y/N) confirmed her suspicions with a nod before walking into the office and shutting the door behind her.

“I was hoping you could answer a few questions for me. According to eyewitnesses, you were the last person who spoke to him before he was killed.”

“I was?” Alice asked, taken back. “We just said our goodbyes at the end of the day. I thought he was going off on that dinner that he was talking about. Did he never get there?”

“A dinner?”

(Y/N) asked her to give more details, and she quickly jotted them down on her notebook. They spoke for a few more minutes before (Y/N) was satisfied with the amount of information that she had gathered. She thanked the woman for her help and headed over to the coroner. Natsu was deep in discussion with the coroner, and she didn’t want to interrupt his methods (as they were, of course, the best in the whole province, if not the whole country), so she stood off to the side to wait for them to finish. Natsu looked over his shoulder and waved her in, so she quickly scurried over to the table.

“Any luck?”

“The woman said that James Galot had dinner plans that he was going to after he left work, so I was going to try to track that person down after I came here to report back.”

“Dinner?” Natsu echoed before questioning, “And she didn’t say who it was?”

“She said she didn’t know. All Galot said was that he was going to dinner. I have a plan to check into Mr. Galot’s usual restaurants to see if he had a reservation.”

“Let me brief you here first. The assumption of blunt force trauma was right. We need to find that lamp somehow. Although that might be difficult.”

“How come?”

“I looked into the lamps when you left, and they’re basically the most common lamp type in the area. We could trace it back to a store, but it’s sold in basically all stores where you could find a lamp.”

(Y/N) peeked over to the coroner to see that she was holding a diagram. She pointed over to the diagram and inquired as to what it was.

“It’s a tox screen. There were levels of Propofol in his system at the time of death.”

“That’s an aesthetic, right?”

“Exactly. Which can narrow our scope to those with access to such a drug. Which means what, newbie?”

“Um, we look into medical professionals?” She tested. 

He smiled and said goodbye to the coroner before waving (Y/N) with him back out to the parking lot. 

“Let me see your notes,” Natsu quickly asked.

“Oh, uh, okay.”

She handed them over and Natsu quickly scanned them before raising an eyebrow towards the (H/C) girl. 

“What the hell are these?”

“My notes.”

Natsu rolled his eyes and got out his phone, taking a picture of the paper and handing the notebook back to her.

“It’s a mess.”

“She was talking in a mess,” (Y/N) defended. “I was trying to keep up.”

\--------------------

“You’re falling behind again, newbie.”

“I’m so sorry, Mr. Dragneel. I swear I’m not usually this bad.”

Natsu groaned when she almost fell off the curb and grabbed her arm before she could lose balance. 

“You gotta focus. You’re gonna blow the case if you keep this up.”

“I swear I thought Ms. Copper said that he frequented at that shop.”

“Well everyone there said that they’ve never seen him before.”

She hung her head and continued to walk with him when she lost her balance again, prompting Natsu to grab her arm again.

“You’re a mess,” he observed. “You need to let go of whatever nerves you have. You can’t let your first big case be a disaster or else you’ll never get another one.”

\----------------

“Hey Mr. Dragneel,” a detective greeted, “who’s that?”

“That’s a rookie.”

“They have her on a case like this? Ballsy.”

“No kidding. She’s way too nervous for this. She takes notes like shit, she can’t interview and she keeps overlooking things that could be important.”

“You gonna drop her?”

Natsu looked up and saw that (Y/N) was frantically shuffling through her notes, causing him to groan. 

“Maybe.”

\--------------

“So Mr. Dragneel, I’ve been thinking over the notes, and I think my gut is telling me that it’s not necessarily someone with medical experience.”

Natsu stared at her expectantly as he waited for her explanation. (Y/N) laughed nervously before stating that it was just her gut. Natsu let out a ‘tsk’ before turning back to his own notes. 

“I mean,” she tried to defend, “nobody places him at any doctor’s offices, and he barely had any interactions with medical professionals except for his physical and dentist appointments. He had no preexisting conditions and he seemed to always be in good health. His assistant said that he never even had the flu in the twenty years he worked there.”

The pink haired detective started the car and pulled out of the parking lot.

“Where’re we going?”

“To re-interview the people you spoke with. You probably missed something that would support your hunch.”

“So you believe in it, too?” She asked, excitement flooding through her.

“It’s possible.”

They interviewed everyone that had spoken with (Y/N) before, and Natsu stood behind her the entire time she was asking questions. They came up empty with everyone, but Natsu noticed something at Galot’s office building. 

“Who’s AC?”

“AC?”

Natsu picked up a letter from the desk and pointed to the signature, a simple AC present at the bottom of the page. (Y/N), being the rookie that she was, said she didn’t know anyone that could match that. They read the letter and saw that it was a secret love letter, AC confessing their undying love for Galot, saying that nobody else deserved him if she couldn’t have him. Natsu bagged the letter for forensic evaluation and went to leave.

“Alright, who else did you interview?”

“Well we can probably catch Ms. Copper here before we leave. She works right down the hall.”

“Great. Let’s see what she--”

Natsu seemed to realize something and turned to her with wide eyes.

“Ms. Copper? Miss _Alice Copper_?”

“Yeah she works right down the...shit!”

She quickly grabbed her notebook and sprinted down the hall to Alice’s office, gasping when she found it empty and locked.

“Oh no,” was all she uttered.

Natsu growled and let out a ‘fuck this’ before using his radio to alert the command post, as well as request airport secirity to look out for her. 

“Way to go, newbie.”

“I’m so sorry,” she frantically apologized. “She seemed innocent when I talked to her. She said that he had dinner and she even listed off restaurants that he went to.”

“All of which were bogus.”

“This is just great,” she croaked. “My first big case and I completely fuck up.”

“Let’s worry about catching a murderer before we go crying about your career, ‘kay?”

“S-Sorry.”

\-------------------

(Y/N)’s phone beeped once they got to the station, and she took one look at it before she gasped.

“What now?” Natsu snapped.

“I completely forgot that I had linked my phone with hers when we spoke.”

“What the heck does that--”

“She has her location on,” she explained as she wiggled the screen in front of the star detective. “She’s by Galot’s home.”

They looked at each other before sprinting to the car. 

Natsu spoke through the radio, simply demanding, “Get me a warrant. Now.”

To say that Natsu sped over to the apartment was an understatement. The warrant came through on his phone, and he slipped around the back of the house to see that Alice was peeking through the window.

“Ms. Copper?”

She seemed startled by the sudden voice and stepped back when she spotted the badge around his belt. 

“Oh, um, hello. I was just checking to see if I could get my scarf from inside. It’s very special to me and I just don’t want it disappearing in all the police sweeps.”

“Your husband, Todd Copper.”

“What about him? If you’re here to judge me about an affair then--”

“Doctor Todd E. Copper, a licensed surgeon?”

“I, uh…”

“Were you aware of the presence of Propofol in Mr. Galot’s system at the time of death?”

“No, I’m sorry, but I don’t know what that is.”

“I think you do. And I assume wearing the men’s shoe was to throw us off?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she snapped. “Now I want my scarf.”

Natsu went to step closer to her when she grabbed a metal pipe to ward him off. He looked at her cautiously as he tried to inch closer to her without getting hurt. She took a swing at him, but before she could swing it forward, Natsu heard a loud ‘clang’ from behind Alice and watched as she slipped to the ground unconscious. Natsu blinked a couple times to see (Y/N) holding a metal pan.

“At least I’m not completely useless, eh?” She joked. 

“You dumbass. They’ll have your badge after something like that.”

“I mean, it doesn’t really matter. They were probably gonna take it away anyway after the shit job I did on this case. Might as well go out with a bang. Well...more of a ‘clang’ I guess.”

Natsu couldn’t help but snort before cuffing Alice and dragging her over to the waiting police car. (Y/N) quickly followed him and made sure that Alice made it into the car. She turned to Natsu and held out her hand.

“It was nice working with you. I’ve always looked up to you and dreamed that I would be able to work the same case as you one day. I guess it’s a great way to end my career, eh?”

“You may be an idiot, newbie. And clueless in basically every aspect of a detective’s job. But you got spunk, and that’ll get you places.”

“Yeah,” she joked again, “jail.”

“I’ll be putting a word in with Sophia about you. You need practice, but you have the ability to work a case.”

“Really?” She giddily replied. 

“But you better not compltely fuck up again. They might have **my** ass if that happens.”

“Of course, Mr. Dragneel. I will work each case like it’s my last.”

He waved her back over to their truck, and she immediately tripped over her own feet. She sheepishly looked up to meet his tired eyes. A loud sigh escaped from him as he turned around. She could make out him mumbling a ‘dear Jesus’ before getting into the truck. But she didn't mind it in the least.


	63. Natsu x Reader: Stargazing

It was their anniversary, and Natsu knew exactly what to do to make it the best day for (Y/N). He started planning it months in advance, picking out the perfect spot and researching the star positions (with the help of Lucy’s spirits, of course). The pile of blankets was folded by the couch and the snacks were gathered on the counter. 

“Natsu, what’s all this for?” Happy questioned. 

“It’s our anniversary today, so I’m taking her out to the forest to look at the stars.”

As if on cue, the front door opened, revealing the familiar (H/C) hair. Her eyes scanned the mess that was the living room before meeting Natsu’s black eyes and raising an eyebrow. 

“And why, may I ask, is there stuff thrown all around? I just cleaned this room last night.”

“I have a surprise for you.”

“It better be a good one because I can’t even see the floor anymore.”

“But (Y/N),” Happy interrupted, “it’s your anniversary today. You can’t be mad at him.”

(Y/N) laughed quietly at the exceed’s reasoning and hung her coat up. She stood with her hands on her hips as she waited for Natsu’s explanation. He had now realized just how much of a mess he had made as he looked at all the closet stuff scattered around the room. 

“So I was thinking--”

“Oh god.”

Natsu huffed and continued, “So I was thinking that we could do something for our anniversary tonight.”

“And what exactly is that?”

Natsu pointed over to the blankets and then to the basket of food on the counter. He smiled wide as he revealed that they were going into the park for a picnic. She waited for him to continue, and he laughed before revealing the best part. 

“I figured we could go tonight and watch the stars.”

(Y/N)’s eyes lit up and a small squeal came from her. Her casual and disinterested demeanor quickly melted away and was replaced by a giddy one. She started to ramble about where the perfect spot was and what time they should go. Seconds later, her arms were wrapped around him as she squeezed him. Natsu let out a chuckle and gently put her at an arm’s length. 

“So I’m guessing you don’t like my gift?”

(Y/N) giggled and kissed his cheek before disappearing into the kitchen. She returned drinking water. 

“So what time are we going?”

“Whenever the sun goes down.”

They sat and talked about what they would do for the rest of the day, and they settled on staying in and enjoying each other’s company. They had ended up with (Y/N) curled into Natsu. (Y/N) had started to drift off with Natsu rubbing her arm. Her breathing slowed, and her grip on his vest loosened. The dragon slayer looked down to see that her face was pressed into his side as she slept. He chuckled and ran his fingers through her hair before drifting off himself. 

Hours later, (Y/N) stirred in her sleep, her eyes cracking open to see the dark of the night through the windows. She shifted so she was looking at the sleeping Natsu and untangled them. 

“Natsu,” she quietly spoke. 

He seemed to not hear her, so she started a little bit louder. When that didn’t work, she took his shoulder and shook him. Still nothing. She ended up giving him a few more minutes, so she stepped into the kitchen and went into the fridge to get a snack. She felt a weight on her back a minute later, and a chin rested on her shoulder. 

“Seriously?”

“What?”

“I tried waking you many times and you hear one fridge door and you jump up?”

Natsu laughed, the vibrations running down her back. He kissed her temple and let go of her. His arms left her and stretched out in front of him as he stepped back into the living room. (Y/N) heard a call from him, so she shut the fridge and wandered over to him, 

“Ready to go?”

(Y/N) nodded and rushed to grab her coat. Natsu grabbed the supplies and opened the door for them. The (E/C) eyes girl looked behind Natsu to see that Happy had disappeared.

“Where’s Ha--”

“He went out with Lily and Charle.”

“But he’s gonna miss the stars,” she pouted.

Natsu assured her that he would be fine and guided her towards the park.

“Are you sure you don’t want me to carry anything?”

“I got it.”

(Y/N) took one look back at him and shrugged before continuing to lead him to the park. She brought them to her favorite spot and sat under one of the bigger trees. This part of the park had a big clearing that was perfect for stargazing, and it was her favorite spot in Magnolia. 

“It’s so clear tonight,” (Y/N) observed. “This will be perfect!”

She shuffled over to the spot that Natsu set up and sat on the blanket, her legs folding under her as she sat on her knees. Natsu grabbed the food basket and set it in front of both of them. He joined her on the blanket and stretched his legs out. 

“Look at that one!”

Natsu followed her finger over towards the sky.

“That one is Rigel. It’s the seventh brightest star in the sky.”

“I’ve never heard of Rigel,” Natsu commented. 

(Y/N) giggled and explained, “It’s a star in Orion. It’s a supergiant!”

Natsu chuckled and waved her closer to him. She continued to ramble.

“It’s way bigger than the sun too!”

“Which one is your favorite?”

(Y/N) started to point in another direction and stopped at a group of stars.

“Vega.”

“Vegan?”

“No Natsu,” she tittered. “It’s Vega. You know Lucy’s spirit, Lyra?”

“Uhh…”

“She’s the spirit with the harp.”

“Oh! Yeah.”

“It’s part of that constellation. It’s actually part of the Summer Triangle that I was talking about yesterday.”

Natsu smiled and leaned back against the tree as he listened to her excited rambling.

“It’s the fifth brightest star in the sky…”

He stretched his arms in front of him and took a look at her from the corner of his eye.

“...And it’s the second star to be photographed, other than the sun of course…”

He nodded and continued to listen.

“Oh! And it’s like double the size of the sun, too.”

(Y/N) turned to Natsu to see if he was still listening and smiled when she saw him looking at her. 

“Isn’t that cool?” She pressed.

“Definitely. So do you know what kind of star it is?”

“I’m glad you asked! It’s a white dwarf.”

“Why is it your favorite?”

“Some people think that there’s a ring of dust surrounding it, and I think that’s super cool. Besides,” (Y/N) giggled, “Lyra is really nice.”

Natsu laughed at her logic and opened the basket to get a fish that he had packed. He handed her a drink, which she immediately took. Looking at the sky was never boring for her, and she was grateful that Natsu didn’t brush her interest off like others did. There was a fair share of experiences where she was shut down when sharing information, but Natsu never did. He would listen intently at each word she said, and point out stars for her to talk about. 

“Oh wow! Look, it’s Canopus!”

“Which one is that?”

“It’s the second brightest star, next to Sirius of course.”

The dragon slayer grabbed one of her hands and entwined her fingers with his before bringing it up to his face and kissing it. This elicited a small giggle from the (H/C) haired woman. She shifted so she was facing him and leaned up on her knees, shuffling towards him and kissing his nose. (Y/N) dropped from her knees and unfolded her legs so she sat down on the blanket, leaning into Natsu’s side and bending her knees out in front of her.

“Why do you sit in the most uncomfortable positions?” Natsu teased. 

(Y/N) pouted and playfully turned away from him before peeking to her side to see that he looked at her with amusement in his eyes. She wrapped her arms around his torso as she snuggled into him. 

“Do you see that one?” (Y/N) asked as she pointed to one of the bright stars.

“Oh, I totally know this one. It’s Antares, right?”

(Y/N)’s eyes lit up and she nodded enthusiastically. 

“You know,” she started, “I kinda assumed you didn’t actually listen to anything I ever say about stars.”

Natsu shrugged and casually stated that “they’re interesting” before giving a wide grin. (Y/N) wiggled closer to him and leaned so she could reach his face. She gave a soft kiss to his cheek before turning back to the sky. The fire mage chuckled and leaned towards her and kissed her temple. 

“Happy anniversary.”

“Natsu, look at that one! It’s Capella!”


	64. Natsu x Bad Girl!Reader: Fog

Natsu was walking down the hall to get to his class when he heard fast steps coming from around the corner. In a flash, a girl had appeared and ran past him. His head whipped behind him to try to figure out what she was doing, but his question was answered when a teacher rounded the corner and started yelling.

“(Y/N) (L/N)!”

Natsu looked at the teacher in confusion, and the teacher seemed to notice.

“That deviant just set my office on fire.”

The pink haired student’s eyes widened and his mouth dropped. The teacher disappeared in the same direction as the sprinting girl, leaving a shocked Natsu standing in the middle of the hallway.

“Damn.”

He had made his way to class and took his seat, waving at his friends.

“What’s up with you, Natsu?” Lucy questioned. 

“What do you know about (Y/N) (L/N)?”

“Oh jeez. Uh, well nothing but trouble if we’re being honest,” Lucy admitted. “Why do you even wanna know?”

“Apparently she set a teacher’s office on fire. I just wanted to know. I mean, I heard that she’s awful, but I just wanted to make sure.”

“I wouldn’t even try to talk to her,” Gray commented. “She’s horrible and a mess.”

Natsu looked over his shoulder to see (Y/N) leaning outside the classroom door. She took in the conversation and scoffed, pushing herself off the wall and walking down the hall. Natsu seemed to be the only one that noticed, and he felt his stomach drop. Without thinking, he got up from his seat and left the room. He scanned the hallway, but didn’t see her anywhere. A loud sigh came from him.

“Well this is great.”

He started to tread down the halls in search of her, aiming to apologize for what they had said about her. Coming up empty, Natsu started to give up and return to class. He turned to go back downstairs when he saw her in the stairwell. She seemed to be on the phone, but he reasoned that apologizing was just as important, so he sat on the stairs and waited for her to finish her conversation. 

“No, that’s not what I said. I just said that maybe you shouldn’t be drinking at eight in the morning. Yes, I know. But you know what? I can’t keep coming home to you passed out on the couch surrounded by bottles.”

Natsu felt like he was intruding at this point, and he tried to leave without her noticing to give her privacy. His foot scuffed the stair, causing (Y/N)’s head to whip around. They made eye contact, and (Y/N) turned back to her phone. 

“I’m hanging up now. Do what you want.”

She faced Natsu and crossed her arms.

“What gives, pinky?”

“Uh, well I just wanted to talk to you about--”

“I’m nothing but trouble, remember? What would make you want to talk to someone horrible and a mess?”

“Well that’s why I wanted to find you. I came to apologize for what we said. I know it was inconsiderate and mean, and I wanted you to know that I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings. Um, I’m sorry for...interrupting.”

He went to step down the stairs when she stopped him. 

“How long have you been sitting here?”

“A couple minutes.”

(Y/N) placed her phone back into her pocket and glared at him. 

“You better not say anything to anyone, got it pinky?”

Natsu shivered at her threatening tone and quickly nodded his head. She huffed and picked up her bag.

“Wait!” Natsu shouted as he prevented her from leaving just yet. “My name is Natsu.”

“Whatever you say. Just don’t let that big mouth of yours blow it for you. You might get hurt.”

Natsu blinked a couple times as he watched her walk away, taking in her words. He could feel sweat start to form, which shocked him.

“She’s terrifying.”

\------------

(Y/N) had, as usual, skipped class, opting to hang out in the drama room. She got bored with carving the walls, so she grabbed her bag and slipped through the halls. After making it to the auditorium, she sat on the stage, her legs dangling over the edge. 

“Let’s see,” she thought out loud. “What should I fuck up next?”

She snickered as she went through all the possibilities, but jumped up when she heard the doors opening. Light rushed into the otherwise dark room, and she was faced with three students. 

“Oi pinky! Out!”

Lucy and Gray looked to Natsu before Gray called back, “We’re here to get something. Let me guess, you’re here thinking about what to break next?”

Natsu elbowed his friend in the stomach and glared at him, reminding him that he shouldn’t be so mean to people. (Y/N) smirked and hopped off the stage, making her way over to the trio.

“Why yes, in fact I am. Care to join me? I heard the electrical in this place is a little dated.”

Gray scoffed and walked around her to approach the stage. He looked around for what he was trying to bring back to class, but he came up empty. Lucy joined him after he asked for help, which left Natsu standing in front of the (E/C) eyed girl. She took her backpack off, rummaged through it, and took out a small camera. 

“Here you go, pinky.”

WIth that, she snuck out of the auditorium and continued to walk around the halls. Lucy and Gray called Natsu over and explained that they couldn’t find what they were sent for.

“The teacher said it was a small camera that would be behind the stage, but we can’t find it anyw--”

Lucy stopped talking when she saw Natsu holding the camera in question. Gray looked over Lucy’s shoulder and huffed.

“You got it the whole time and didn’t tell us? When did you even find it?”

“I, uh, I didn’t. She handed it to me.”

\------------

(Y/N) groaned as she exited the front office and stretched her arms out in front of her. 

“Well this blows. Who would’ve thought she would have the balls to call the school to get through to me?”

She shook the distraction out of her head and continued down the hall. 

“I’m definitely getting detention today. No way I can deal with going home so soon. She won’t even realize I’m gone anyway.”

Her lips pressed into a line as she took in the situation that she was put in daily. After reaching the end of the science wing, she turned the corner to enter into the math wing, peeking through the doors to see if anything interesting was happening. She laughed to herself. 

“Yeah, because so many interesting things happen in this hellhole.”

“Are you skipping again?”

(Y/N) turned around to see Natsu standing in the middle of the hall holding a folder.

“What’s it to you?”

“Just asking,” he stated casually. “What class are you supposed to be in anyway?”

“Psych.”

“Which teacher is that?”

“Clive.”

Natsu looked at her confused and asked, “Are you sure?”

“Are you implying that I don’t know how to read my own class schedule, pinky?”

“Wha--no, of course not. It’s just, I’m in that class right now and I’ve never seen you in class.”

“That’s because I never go. This is the perfect time to hang out backstage. Drama and band don’t meet until after lunch, and other classes almost never go in there, so it’s the perfect place to hang out. Besides,” she laughed, “skipping class is the perfect way to get detention.”

“You seem fixated on getting all these detentions.”

“Yeah well some of us don’t have the same circumstances that would influence that.”

“I, um, excuse me if I’m prying--”

“You’ve already said too much and you haven’t even started yet. Give up, pinky. I don’t care how much trouble I run into. The more time I’m forced to be here, the less time I’m out.”

“Do you really need to get into all this trouble to avoid whatever you deal with?”

“Not everybody had the same loving and encouraging environment as you and your friends. But I’m sure you probably already connected those dots.”

“Why don’t you join like a club or something then?”

“I don’t have the grades to be in anything, genius.”

Natsu went to say something when (Y/N)’s phone started to vibrate. She took one look at the screen and growled before answering. 

“What?” She snapped into the phone. “I’m not in the mood.”

Natsu didn’t know if he should stay, so he slowly backed away and went to return to class. He heard her snapping her fingers at him, so he stopped moving and looked at her curiously. 

“Stay here. I’m not finished torturing you yet.”

She turned back to her conversation and rolled her eyes at whatever the person was saying. 

“Listen, I already told you that I’m not gonna clean up after you and your friend’s ‘get together.’ The last time that happened you almost got arrested and I had to convince the officer to not bring you in.”

Natsu looked around awkwardly, feeling like he had severely invaded her personal life. She ended the call and looked over to him. 

“Anyway,” she started, acting as if the phone call never happened, “if you can find something that accepts asshole rejects then I’ll look into it.”

“Uh, well I mean can’t you just go to the library or something?”

(Y/N) laughed loudly and smirked, rebutting, “Do you honestly think they’d let me into the library?”

“I mean, you never know--”

“I have the perfect idea! Why don’t I just follow you around after school?”

Natsu’s mouth dropped and he searched his brain for a response. 

“Besides, you and your friends need to learn how to have some fun. I know a lot of things that we can do.”

\--------------

“So Lucy and Gray have things they have to do, so it’s just--”

“Not surprising. Your friends have a strong dislike for me anyway. I can sense an excuse to avoid something from miles away.”

“I’m sorry that they--”

“No need to apologize. I’m used to it. I just don’t care anymore. Say, we should totally sneak into--”

“The whole point of this is to not make you get detention.”

“Well fine then. What did you have in mind?”

“I was thinking more of a pizza thing.”

“Oh cool. It’s been a long time since someone has asked me out. I know this cool--”

She looked over to see Natsu's flustered reaction. 

“What?”

“Well I just, that’s--”

“Fine. But you’re still paying.”

\--------------

It had been a couple weeks since then, and they had hung out often. Natsu heard something from the auditorium, so he quietly snuck inside. (Y/N) was laying on the stage with her knees bent up. A trashcan sat a little past her feet, and she had an open notebook sitting beside her. 

“What’re you doing?”

(Y/N)’s eyes snapped over to the door, but soon returned to the notebook and ripped a page out before squishing it into a ball and tossing it towards the basket. 

“What does it look like? It’s my free period anyway, so it’s not like I’m skipping or anything. So you can’t lecture me on that.”

Natsu chuckled quietly and stepped towards the stage, pulling himself up onto the stage and standing right beside her. She looked up, her eyes meeting his before she looked away and balled up another paper ball. Her tongue stuck out in concentration, and she cheered when she heard the paper hitting the inside of the trashcan. When she looked back at Natsu, she quirked an eyebrow. Her hands ripped another sheet of paper out of the notebook, and she balled it up before stretching her arm out to hand Natsu the paper.

“If you make this then I pay for the next pizza.”

“Oh please,” he scoffed, “you never pay.”

She flashed a smile towards him before wiggling the paper ball as a prompt for him to take it. He sighed and grabbed it before tossing it over to the trash can. Right before the paper landed in the basket, (Y/N) stretched her foot out to kick the basket over. She laughed, teasing him by saying that he missed. Natsu rolled his eyes and took a seat next to her.

“So why’re you here? Shouldn’t you be in class?”

“Actually,” Natsu started, amused, “we’re in the same free period, which is how I knew you’d be here.”

“Seriously? Since when?”

“A better question would be since when have you ever shown up for attendance?”

“Touché.”

She smiled and went to say something when her phone vibrated on the stage. (Y/N)’s eyes drifted over to it and she let out a ‘tsk’ when she saw the caller name flash across the screen. All of her playfulness disappeared and was replaced with irritation and frustration. She angrily picked up the phone and rolled her eyes at whatever the person was saying. 

“Just stay there. I’ll be home after school. We can deal with it then.”

She groaned and ended the call, sliding her phone away from her and across the stage.

“Mom?”

“Who else?” (Y/N) sarcastically questioned. 

He retrieved her phone and set it down next to her before laying down next to her.

“I’ll take a raincheck.”

(Y/N) let out a frustrated breath and swung up, her hands propping her up as she now sat on the stage. Natsu mirrored her actions and tapped her shoulder. She looked over to him to see that he was holding a card. Her curiosity got the better of her, and she peeked over to read it.

“What’s that?”

“Hotline,” was his short answer. 

He handed her the card and picked himself up off the ground and stood up, grabbing her outstretched hand and pulling her up with him. 

“It’s worth a try.”

“I guess,” she hesitantly agreed while looking at the card. “Thanks, Natsu.”

\----------

The school had been...quiet. Quiet enough to be unnerving to the faculty and staff. Never in the years (Y/N) attended had there been this amount of behavioral silence. All of the adults were on high alert, convinced that she was planning something big. 

“I hope you know that you have the whole school scared to shit,” Natsu joked. 

“Well they can suck it. I don’t always have to be bad. Sometimes I just want to sit here and chill.”

Natsu laughed and joined her in one of the rows of seats in the auditorium. 

“Anyway,” he continued, “what’re you doing tonight?”

“Nothing but planning ways to torture the school.”

“Good. We’re going to this cool place I found. I heard they have this cool twelve scoop ice cream dish.”

“Leave it to you to think with your stomach. You know, this is the first time you’ve actually directly asked me out instead of just the ‘well we can hang out here’ thing you always do.”

Natsu gave a lopsided grin and went to hold her hand when she jumped up and clapped her hands.

“It’s time!”

“Uh, for what?”

“What? Did you seriously think I wasn’t planning something? The school has reason to be afraid, and I’m certainly gonna deliver.”

Natsu’s mouth dropped when she hopped onto the stage and pushed out a fog machine. She laughed maniacally and turned it on, causing thick white clouds to puff out of it. The doors were quickly opened by the (H/C) haired troublemaker, and the smoke flooded the hallways. She looked back and winked.

“See you tonight, pinky.”

And just like that, she had disappeared into the fog, leaving a bewildered Natsu sitting there in the middle of the auditorium.


	65. Demigod!Natsu x Mortal!Reader: Heart

“Dear, are you sure you have to go?”

(Y/N) turned around to her parents and gave a wide smile.

“Don’t worry. I’ll be back, but I have to train to get stronger so that I can protect the village.”

She continued to pack her bags as she rambled on about getting stronger. 

“It’s a dangerous spot you’re heading to,” her mom fretted.

“It’s okay. I have Corvus!”

As if on cue, a bird swooped in and landed on her shoulder, giving a small coo into her ear. 

“See? Corvus will help protect me.”

They both sighed loudly, but small smiles were still present as they watched their daughter prepare to set off on an unknown journey. (Y/N) finished packing, the buckles on her bags clicking closed, and she grabbed a jacket before giving one last hug to her parents and exiting her childhood home. 

“Well...here I go, I guess.”

The two of them made their way to the edge of the village before taking one last look behind them. (Y/N) hitched her bag up her back and waved Corvus to follow her into the surrounding forest. She started to hum to herself as she happily stepped through the forest. Hours later, the sun was starting to set, so she set up camp in a clearing, starting a fire and climbing into her sleeping bag. Corvus landed next to her and closed his eyes as well. Sleep was quick to wash over both of them, and they didn’t hear the snap of twigs deeper in the forest.

\-----------

(Y/N) jumped when she heard Corvus start to screech, gasping loudly and hopping to her feet. She looked around and turned back to her companion in confusion.

“What’s wrong? Did something scare you?”

He continued to scream, and (Y/N) squeaked when she spotted a tall figure sitting in a tree branch. 

“Wh-who are you?”

The figure looked down before standing on the branch. (Y/N) discretely inched towards her bag to grab a knife she had brought for protection when she heard the ‘tsk’ from the branch. The glint of the knife shined as the figure spun it around their finger. The (H/C) haired girl started to panic. The figure hopped down from the tree and crossed their arms, stepping into the sunlight that glistened in the clearing. (Y/N) studied him closely. Pink hair, black eyes, bandages on his arms, scar on his neck...muscular? She quickly scolded herself from getting distracted in a time of danger and quickly backed away. 

“Will you relax? Jeez. You were better when you were sleeping.”

(Y/N) went to say something sarcastic back when she took in his words, confusedly questioning, “Wait. You watched me sleep?” 

“It wasn’t even interesting. Honestly, you humans are so boring.”

“...Are you not...human?”

The figure laughed loudly and smiled devilishly. (Y/N) took that as a bad sign and continued to increase the distance between them. Corvus went to attack the figure, but the bird was grabbed by him and held so he couldn’t fly away. 

“Stop! You’re hurting him!”

The figure looked at the bird and raised an eyebrow, asking, “Can you talk?”

The bird squirmed in his hold, screaming and squawking loudly. 

“Jesus you two are annoying.”

The bird was released, and he hovered protectively in front of (Y/N). 

“Who are you?” She tried again. 

“Natsu Dragneel.”

(Y/N) knitted her eyebrows together. The name was familiar, but she couldn’t quite remember where she had heard it before. 

“You look like your head is gonna explode if you think any harder,” Natsu drawled. 

“Do I know you from somewhere? I can’t quite remember.”

“Let me guess: the name rings a bell but you’ve never seen my face before, yes?”

“Well...yeah.”

“My name is Natsu Dragneel and--”

“You already said your name,” (Y/N) quickly interrupted.

Natsu sighed loudly and walked back towards the forest. (Y/N) called out after him and asked him to stay so she could figure it out.

“Have you ever heard of Igneel?”

“Igneel? The fire god? Of course I have. He’s in all the books back home.”

“Igneel is my father.”

(Y/N) scoffed and picked up her bag before turning to walk into the forest. Natsu’s eyes twitched.

“Where are you going?”

“Well you’re obviously lying, and I don’t have time to be wasting, so I’m continuing on my journey and--”

A wall of fire sprung up from the ground and blocked her from leaving, sending hot flames twirling into the sky. (Y/N) gasped, quickly pulling her arm away from the flames. She looked back to see Natsu looking at her with a bored expression. Her eyes darted back to the flames, as they were slowly spreading towards her. She ended up having to retreat back into the clearing where she stared at Natsu.

“You’re serious?”

“Of course I am.”

“Why are you just hanging out in the forest then? Shouldn’t you be with your dad? In like a volcano or something?”

“Seriously? A volcano? You got nothing better?”

“Well what are you doing here then?”

“Looking.”

“For what?”

“Something to entertain me,” he casually stated. “You seem good enough for now.”

“This isn’t like, some way to lure me in and kill me, right?”

Natsu scoffed and tossed her knife back, commenting, “If I wanted you dead, it woulda happened by now.”

She still looked cautious, but she slowly crept closer to him. Natsu sat down by the fire and leaned back on his hands. (Y/N) followed him and sat across from him, studying him closely. 

“Will you quit staring? It’s very rude.”

“How old are you?”

“I dunno. Maybe 400 and something?”

Without thinking she blurted out, “You’re super old.”

“Gee, thanks. So human, why’re you out here by yourself?”

Corvus had started squawking again and flapping his wings to grab their attention. Natsu rolled his eyes and corrected himself, emphasizing the bird’s presence. 

“We came so that I can get stronger. I’m heading to a wizard town where I can find someone to teach me powerful magic. Then I can protect my village.”

“From what?”

(Y/N) looked down as she spoke, “There've been groups of malicious wizards that keep coming and destroying all the crops and demanding money. I come from a small farming village, so there aren’t many wizards at all. I wanna learn magic and help stand up for my people.”

“Ah yes, the typical hero that saves the village in danger of destruction. I’ve seen many of those.”

“You have?”

“Well yeah. I mean they all ended up dying anyway though, so I don’t know how you’ll fare.”

“R-Really? All of them?”

“They spent so much time on their physical strength that they completely forgot to train their minds for tactical purposes. They all got cornered one way or another and died in vain. Such a shame. I was particularly fond of one of them.” Natsu turned back to her and casually shrugged, dismissing, “Oh well. Humans do what they must I guess.”

“You’re powerful.”

“Why thank you, human. I would like to think so myself.”

“Are you smart?”

“Where it counts.”

“And you’re not busy,” she stated matter-of-factly.

“How would you know that? I could be getting ready for something that you humans know nothing about.”

“But you aren’t,” came her quick counter. “Which means you’re the perfect person to help me!”

Natsu blinked a couple times before shaking his head.

“No way. Get moving to get to that village.”

“But you’re the perfect teacher. You know more about the way that wizards work more than any human wizard. You can teach me to--”

“You’re boring me now.”

“Please?”

“I don’t teach humans how to deal with human problems.”

(Y/N) stood up straight and looked him dead in the eyes as she spoke, “Then teach me as a wizard to deal with wizard problems. I’m not leaving unless you kill me or train me.”

\-----------

“How many times do I have to tell you to not jump as soon as you see fire? You’re gonna overreact and then you’ll die.”

“I’m trying my best,” (Y/N) defended as she brushed off her dirtied clothes. 

“We’ve been at this for ten hours already. Aren’t you tired?”

“No way. I can keep going.”

“You’re certainly stubborn.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment.”

Natsu let out a loud breath and leaned against a nearby tree. He raised his pointer finger up, and a wall of fire erupted from the ground and shot up above the trees. (Y/N) instinctively jumped back again, a little squeak sounding through the clearing. A loud groan escaped Natsu’s throat.

“You’re still doing it, human.”

\--------------

“Do you like fish, human?”

“Not really.”

“Too bad,” Natsu stated as he dropped a fish into her hands. “Eat this or eat nothing.”

“Do you even know my name?” She questioned. 

“No, and quite frankly, it would be a waste to know.”

“Do you seriously not like humans that much?”

“Any time I had befriended a human, they always did something stupid and died prematurely. They would entertain me for a bit and then get killed, so I don’t necessarily like befriending mortals.”

“Well my name is (Y/N).”

\------------

A small burst of fire shot out of (Y/N)’s hands, and she looked at Natsu with a wide grin to show him. Natsu gave a bored thumbs up before his eyes drifted off to the side where Corvus sat. He decided to approach the bird while (Y/N) was busy.

“Can you really not talk?”

The bird stared blankly at the demigod before flapping his wings.

“That’s boring.”

“Did you see that, Natsu? I totally created a wall.”

“I didn’t see it,” he remarked. “Do it again,”

(Y/N) huffed and tried again, but nothing was working. She pouted when Natsu criticized her. After another couple hours, they decided to take a break and eat before the sun went down completely. 

“So what’s your favorite place that you’ve ever visited? I’m sure you’ve been almost everywhere by now.”

“I’ve lived in this forest for hundreds of years. Villages don’t amuse me anymore, and I’m not fond of the mountains. I don’t usually go sight seeing like you humans do. All human villages are the same more or less.”

“So you just stay here alone for hundreds of years? That must be boring.”

“That’s not true, human. He has me!”

(Y/N)’s eyes snapped towards the forest where a spot of blue hovered by the trees. Her eyes widened when she saw a blue cat with wings.

“You...can talk? And fly? And you’re a cat?”

“Aye, sir!”

“That’s Happy. He’s been with me for a long time, right buddy?”

“Aye!”

“Woah,” (Y/N) breathed, “that’s so cool. How can you talk?”

“Let’s not get distracted, human.”

“(Y/N),” the girl corrected.

\-----------

“So do you have any friends?”

“Not really. Just Happy.”

“Well then it’s settled.”

Natsu quirked an eyebrow and waited for her elaboration. 

“We’re officially friends now.”

“Absolutely not.”

\--------------

“Did you see that? I’m getting better and better every day.”

Natsu hid a small smile behind his disinterested facade. In the month that they had spent together, he had started to grow fond of the (E/C) eyed human. She had an inner fire that burned inside her, fuelled by the desire to protect those she held close. She was picking up quickly with the spells he had shown her, and she was improving every day.

“See? I told you I would learn.”

He gave her a blank look before turning away from her and sitting by the base of the big tree by the clearing. 

“Do you think we can go fishing after we train for a bit longer? I want to eat early tonight.”

“I thought you didn’t like fish.”

(Y/N) smiled at him, saying, “I’ve been forced into eating it for a month now, so I’ve acquired a taste for it.”

They finished up their training exercises for the day and made their way towards the river where their fishing poles sat. (Y/N) sat down in her usual spot and cast her line out, humming quietly as she waited for a fish to take the bait. Natsu stood off to the side, studying her. Her personality had intrigued him, and she had shocked him with something almost every day they spent together. She had survival skills, even if it didn’t seem like it at first, and she had the drive to learn. Unlike the humans that had stumbled across him, she seemed to not care for his status. 

And she made no move to exploit his powers. He had met one human three hundred years prior that exposed him to the kingdom for his own gains, and Natsu had no choice other than to deal with the man. He had hid away in the forest since, too fed up with the “wishes” that humans asked him to grant. (Y/N) was different from the humans that he had met. She reminded him of the last human he hadn’t hated. 

His attention was pulled out of his thoughts when he felt a tug on his line. With a flick of the wrist, he had easily pulled the fish out of the river and set it aside. He looked up at the dark sky and placed his fishing pole in its usual spot. 

“Let’s go, human.”

“(Y/N).”

“The sky’s dark and you have no fish to--”

(Y/N) smirked and scooted to the side to reveal a large pile of fish. 

“I caught a lot while you seemed distracted. This’ll be enough for tomorrow too, right?”

Another small smile graced his face. 

\-------------

“Where’re you from that needs protection?”

(Y/N) looked taken back from this question, as Natsu had never shown interest in anything in her life before. She recovered quickly and explained her situation. 

“I live in a small village called Saint Millsar. We’re mainly a farming village, and we’re known for our famous rice fields. About a year ago, a group of wizards known as Midnight Eagle stumbled across our fields, and they’ve been threatening our village farmers. We have to give them a large portion of our rice, and it leaves us with barely any to sell. Our village wages decreased dramatically, and we’re going to run out soon, which will bring destruction to our village. We can barely afford to live the way we are now, so without our crops, we’ll have nothing.”

“And how is learning magic going to help bring back the crops?” 

“I’m hoping that I can at least drive Midnight Eagle out of the village. Then we would be able to use all our crops again instead of the small share they leave for us. If we can get our crops back, then the village and our people will be able to function again. But I’m running out of time. Soon no crops will be left. I can’t let that happen.”

“You’re very determined.”

(Y/N) gave a small smile to the demigod and stood up to stretch. 

“I’m going to go to bed now if that’s okay. Training took a lot out of me today.”

Natsu waved it off and, opting to stay sitting by the fire, staring at the flames. He heard a shuffle from beside him, and his eyes landed on the (H/C) haired girl as she walked past him and started to set up her sleeping bag across from him on the opposite side of the fire.

“Goodnight.”

Natsu gave a small ‘mmhmm’ in response before staring into the fire again. (Y/N) had quickly fallen asleep, followed by Corvus tucking himself in under her arm, leaving Natsu and Happy alone.

“What are you gonna do, Natsu?”

“What do you mean?”

“You have that same look in your eyes. The same one as before with that other human.”

“Is that so?”

“Are you gonna help her?”

Natsu looked across the fire to see her sleeping peacefully. His eyes met Happy’s before he shrugged. 

“We’ll see how entertaining she is.”

\-----------

Natsu woke up one morning to see (Y/N) and her sleeping bag gone. He brushed it off and stretched, yawning in the process. He waited by the fire for an hour, but there was still no sign of the girl. His nose didn’t pick up on her scent, and his ears couldn’t hear anything that would help pinpoint her location. His stomach felt like it dropped as he went through the possibility of her having left in the middle of the night. He quickly stood up and scanned the clearing for any sign of her, but he came up empty. 

“I knew it. Just like any other human. You use me for my power and nothing else.”

He scoffed, flames sparking around him. 

“Natsu?” Happy started. “Are you mad at the humans again?”

“They’re nothing but leeches.”

“Natsu, I figured I would get a jump start on catching lunch for today so we could train a bit more and...are you okay?”

Natsu’s head whipped towards the familiar voice, his anger dropping.

“You don’t look well,” (Y/N) fretted. “Do you feel okay?”

“Where’s your sleeping bag?”

“Oh I decided to fold it up and put it away. I figured that you would be up by the time I got back, so I wouldn’t be able to go back to sleep or anything. Are you sure you’re up for training today? We can just relax if you aren’t. I wouldn’t want to push your health if you aren’t feeling up to it.”

“You didn’t leave?”

“Leave? Why would I do that? Then you would be all alone.”

Happy coughed loudly.

“Well I guess not _completely_ alone,” she quickly corrected.

“Why would you care about that?”

(Y/N) smiled wide and explained, “Because I know that it can’t be fun being alone all these years. Hell, I get lonely in a village filled with people, so I can’t even imagine how boring it must be in the middle of the forest. Because, I mean, demigod or human, we all feel lonely sometimes.” 

“You’re very strange, mortal.”

“(Y/N).”

\-------

“You’re doing it wrong.”

(Y/N) scoffed and held her palms out again, small bursts of fire shooting out towards the tree in front of her. 

“I did it fine. It still hit.”

“That was by chance.”

(Y/N) moaned and sat down in the middle of the clearing. 

“Can we take a break? I’m beat.”

Natsu joined her on the grass, sitting cross legged in front of her. She grinned towards him and asked him if he could tell her one of his stories.

“A story?”

“Yeah. I mean you’ve been alive for like 400 years, so you are bound to have at least one crazy story.”

Natsu thought for a minute before he settled on one that told the story of the human that he was most fond of, retelling how they had met and what she had taught him, knitting to building to cooking. (Y/N) listened intently with sparkles in her eyes. 

“What happened next?”

“She died.”

(Y/N) looked over at him, bewildered. 

“She just...died?”

“You have to remember that I am immortal, but she was not. And neither are you or any other human that interacts with me.”

“Was it old age?”

“No. She was killed by a village leader when he found out she was hanging around with a ‘malicious threat as great as a demigod’ or something.”

“I’m so sorry. You must miss her.”

“It was a hundred years ago. There’s been many more encountered with humans since then, yet all of them were for their own personal gain.”

“I’m really sorry that the humans you met were all like that. It must be so frustrating for you. I bet that’s why you hate humans, right?”

“Not all humans,” he quietly corrected.

“That’s great! I’m glad you found someone that you don’t hate,” (Y/N) congratulated, oblivious to the meaning behind his words. 

Suddenly, a loud screech was heard above the trees, and Corvus swooped down a second later and landed on (Y/N)’s shoulder.

“What is it, Corvus? Did you find something?”

He squawked and flapped, expressing the urgency in his message. (Y/N) gasped and stood up quickly. 

“I’m really sorry Natsu, but I have to help my village.”

“You got all that from a screaming bird? He can’t even talk.”

“I sent him this morning to scope out the village, and I told him to come back and let me know if those Eagles were coming. My village needs me. I’m sorry. But I promise I’ll come back once I help them.”

Corvus took off to the skies again, darting for the village. (Y/N) waved goodbye one last time.

“It was really nice meeting you, Natsu. I look forward to seeing you again, so don’t go hiding on me, yeah?”

With that, she disappeared into the forest. 

“Natsu,” Happy asked, “are you gonna help her?”

“She’ll be able to do it,” he assured before he waved his blue companion over to the river. “Let’s catch some fish so that we can all eat later.”

\------------

It had been a couple hours, and (Y/N) had still not returned to the clearing. Natsu waited patiently for her to come back, but he was losing hope. 

“I don’t think she’s coming back, Natsu.”

“She’ll be back,” he argued. “Just give it time.”

Another hour had passed, and Natsu finally realized that she wasn’t coming. He growled and set the fish that he had put aside for her on fire, incinerating the whole pile. 

“How foolish am I to think she would be different?”

A loud screech was heard from above them, and they both looked up to see Corvus circling the clearing. Natsu looked up, annoyed, and yelled at the bird to stay quiet. Corvus did not stop. In fact, the screams became louder and more urgent. He swooped down and landed on Natsu’s head as he frantically flapped his wings. 

“What the hell do you think you’re doing, you pest? Get off.”

Covus shrieked and flew off his head and towards the edge of the clearing. He retreated back to Natsu’s side and did the same thing. 

“I think he wants you to follow him,” Happy observed.

“I’m not helping your stupid village,” he affirmed. 

Corvus screamed louder than ever before and bit Natsu’s hand. 

“Ow what the heck are you doing? Stupid bird.”

“Natsu,” Happy interjected, “do you think (Y/N) is in trouble? Maybe he came here for you to help her. Maybe that’s why she hasn’t come back yet.”

Natsu looked at his friend and then back to the panicked bird. He sighed and told Corvus to lead him to the village, which he immediately did. When they got there, Natsu could see that the rice fields looked barren.

“Damn. It’s a lot worse than she said it was.”

His eyes scanned the sections of the village he could see from where he stood, and sure enough he spotted (Y/N) being cornered by a large group of wizards. 

“She needs help,” Happy stated.

“She can do it herself. Just give her time.”

“That’s what you said about the last one, remember? She never came back.”

Natsu’s fists tightened and he waited another minute before he saw the group charge up magic energy. The demigod sprinted over and panicked when the spells started to reach her. 

\---------

“Did you really think that one puny training wizard like yourself would ever be able to stand up to us, the Midnight Eagle guild? What a joke.”

“I was strong enough to defeat your friends over there,” (Y/N) bit back as she pointed to a group of unconscious wizards. 

“You stupid girl. You are facing the most powerful members of our guild now. Now be a nice little girl and get out of our way before you get hurt.”

(Y/N) stood strong, continuing to block their way into the silo. 

“Over my dead body.”

The men laughed maniacally and responded, “With pleasure.”

They all started to prepare spells to aim at her, and she couldn’t defeat them all before their spells were released. She panicked and tried to strike some of them, but she had no time. There was no way she would be able to--

A stream of fire had appeared from seemingly nowhere, and it knocked the group of wizards down. (Y/N) looked around frantically for the source, and her eyes landed on a distraught looking Natsu.

“Natsu? What are you doing here? I thought you hated being in the open with so many people.”

“You know, a thank you would be nice.”

(Y/N) beamed and jumped over the pile of burnt wizards to give a small hug to the demigod.

“I really am grateful, Natsu.”

The wizards started to get up, but they were immediately slammed down again when a wall of fire crushed them to the ground. 

“Stay down,” he growled.

The wizards that were able to get up again had quickly retreated to the edge of the village and disappeared over the hill at the village border. The (E/C) eyed girl thanked him again, taking his hand and smiling brightly up at him. 

“Thank you for helping to save my village, Natsu. I’m forever indebted. What made you come out of the forest?”

“Uh, you uh, you didn’t come back,” he forced out. 

Corvus landed on Natsu’s head and cooed. 

“Oh yeah. And your bird kinda came to get me.”

(Y/N) giggled and extended her arm for Covus to step up, which he quickly did. 

“Well thank you both, Natsu and Corvus. Where’s Happy?”

“I’m up here!” Happy shouted as he circled the ring of smoke that blew up from the fire.

“Well thank you too, Happy,” (Y/N) yelled up to him. 

“Darling,” a new voice started, “is that you?”

(Y/N) turned around and immediately hugged her mom. 

“Did you...did you do all this?” Her mother hesitantly asked.

“With some help.”

“Who’re you, young man?” Another voice, the one of (Y/N)’s father, interrogated. 

“This is Natsu. He’s my friend. He actually helped to train me as a wizard.”

“And which village are you from? Where did you meet?”

(Y/N) quickly covered for him, knowing that he didn’t like announcing who he was to people that would potentially freak out. 

“We met in the forest on my way to the village of the trainer. We were both looking to train, and he agreed to help me train with magic if I taught him some farming methods.”

“Uh, yeah,” Natsu awkwardly agreed, “Well anyway. I’ll be heading back now.”

(Y/N) took that as the signal to say goodbye to him, and she waved to her parents before walking him back to the edge of town.

“So how come you came? I thought you hated humans and the villages.”

“You needed help,” was all he said.

They made it back to the forest edge, and they both stood facing each other in silence. 

“Thank you for helping me train and saving my village. But most importantly thank you for being my friend.”

Natsu finally let her see his smile.

“And I promise I’ll come back.”

\--------------

She had kept her promise. Every day for eighty years, (Y/N) would venture into the forest and meet with the demigod. They would fish or just talk until the sun went down and she needed to return home. Every day she would bring some rice over to him to cook, and she taught him all the dishes he could make with it. Every day, there would be a new story about the people in her village, and every day Natsu would share one of his stories with her. 

And one day, eighty years later, (Y/N) stopped coming. And he knew why. But the hole that had grown in his heart for hundreds of years had healed, and he did not detest the human race anymore. He had just wished that she had more time left to share with him.


	66. Natsu x Non-wizard!Reader: Bakery [requested]

It was no surprise that Natsu liked to eat. In fact, there was never an hour where he was not thinking about his next meal. So when he learned about a new bakery, he was the first to check it out. 

“Are you serious, pyro? You can’t just jump at the sight of food every single time.”

“Well I was gonna ask if you wanted something,” Natsu sarcastically replied, “but you obviously don’t want anything.”

Gray scoffed and said that he wasn’t going to get him anything anyway before he made his way over to the bar. Natsu huffed before walking out of the guildhall and into the streets. Happy was close behind him, hovering beside the dragon slayer. 

“Do you think they have fish?” Happy asked, excited.

“It’s a bakery, so probably not. But it’s sure to have some cool cakes and stuff.”

They found the bakeshop near the edge of town and quickly opened the door, a small bell ringing upon their arrival. They both scanned the shop, taking in the little seating area and reading nook in the corner. 

“Reading? Who the heck reads when they come to eat?”

“Actually,” a small voice sounded, “a lot of people like to. It’s a quiet place to eat a pastry and dive into a story.”

Natsu and Happy turned in the direction of the voice and saw a young girl with (H/C) hair and (E/C) eyes. She gave a welcoming smile before waving them over to the dessert counter. 

“We have a variety of homemade desserts, and we put our all into baking each one. Let me know which one you--”

“Do you have any fish?” Happy interrupted.

The girl jumped and looked at the exceed wide eyed. 

“You can...talk?”

“Aye, sir!”

Natsu spoke up, pulling their attention back to the desserts, “Which one do you recommend?”

“I made the cookies and cupcakes, so I’m a little biased towards them, but the pies are really good as well.”

“I’ll take one of everything.”

“Great! Do you have a preference for the...did you say one of everything?”

Natsu gave an excited ‘uh-huh’ and grinned. 

“They all look good, and I’m hungry.”

“Well, I mean, are you sure?”

He nodded and stepped over to the tray of cookies. The girl studied him for a second before shrugging it off and walking behind the counter and ringing up his order. He quickly gathered his food and led him and Happy over to a table by the window. They took a bite, and both of them had stars in their eyes. 

“This is so good,” Happy cried. 

\-------

“Now where are you going?”

“I need a cookie.”

Happy’s ears perked up, and he quickly followed Natsu over to the bakeshop. The bell dinged, and they sat by the window while they waited. The girl from before approached the table and smiled.

“Well hello again.”

“Can I have a cookie, miss?” Happy asked as he jumped in his chair. 

“You’re not gonna order everything again?” She teased. 

“I mean, I could.”

The girl laughed nervously, scared that she would have to restock the whole bakery again. She quickly handed the pair their cookies and returned to the counter to straighten out the cupcakes. 

\------

“I’m going to get something at that bakery,” Natsu casually stated. 

“Wow Natsu, it must be good food if you’re going back this much.”

“What are you talking about, Lucy? Salamander’s always thinkin’ with his stomach.”

Natsu slipped out of the guildhall before they noticed him leaving and ambled down the street to the bakeshop. At the sound of the bell, the (H/C) girl’s head peeked up from behind the counter. She finished stocking the brownies before dusting off her apron and facing the customer.

“Well hi there,” she cheerily greeted. “Back again?”

Natsu grinned and pointed to the scones.

“It’s a scone day.”

The girl laughed, her (E/C) eyes lighting up in amusement. She handed Natsu the pastry and moved on to the next customer. Once it died down, the girl looked over to see that Natsu was still there, quietly looking at the dessert counter. She laughed to herself and stepped towards the table. 

“Lost in thought of debating on if you want another one?”

His eyes snapped to the side to see her bright smile. 

“Kind of both.”

She spun around on her heel and went back to the counter, grabbing something and returning to his side. A small cupcake was placed in front of him. 

“On the house. I know you like this kind the best.”

“Woah no way,” Natsu breathed. “I only ever heard about people getting things for free like that.”

She giggled and responded, “My name’s (Y/N) by the way. Enjoy your cupcake.”

\-----------

It had been a couple weeks, and Natsu had somehow always come up with an excuse on why he was going to the bakery so much. He had gone quite a few times without anyone, even Happy. In fact, Natsu hadn’t ever invited anyone to the bakeshop.

“Welcome back, Natsu,” (Y/N) happily started. “I have this new invention that I wanted you to try.”

Natsu took his usual seat and waited patiently for the new concoction. 

“Woah. What’s that?”

“I call it brownie lasagna. I stacked brownies on top of each other with a layer of frosting in between and then topped it with a chocolate sauce from melting chocolate chips.”

He bit into it and gave his signature grin. 

“You’ve done it again, (Y/N).”

“You really think so? I was debating on whether it works or not.”

Natsu echoed his praise and waved for her to sit down. She joked, asking if he was sure that she could interrupt his meal, but sat down across from him anyway. Natsu peeked up at her as he continued to eat. She seemed not to notice, so he continued to study her face. In the weeks of him coming, he had taken notice of everyone in the shop. He knew the faces of all the regulars because, of course, he was one as well. He could describe the mannerism of all the workers at the bakeshop, and he could guess pretty accurately about what they would recommend to new customers. 

His eyes returned to the girl seated across from him. Natsu knew everything about her behavior. He would see the way that the corner of her eyes crinkles when she smiled or laughed at something a customer would say. Her fingers were always grabbing at the edge of her apron; she, as he had learned, had no idea what to do with her hands at any time where they weren’t in use. She wore her (H/C) hair the same way every day, and her smile never changed. 

(Y/N)’s gaze turned back from the window to the dragon slayer. Natsu quickly averted his eyes to look off towards the counter. 

“So have you been on any cool jobs lately?”

Natsu’s smile ghosted his face. She wasn’t a wizard, but she loved adventure, which explained her habit of creating new kinds of desserts. She lived for his stories of the life of a wizard, and she would sit and listen intently to every word. 

“There was this one where we had to get rid of some magic octopus from a port in Hargeon. We totally took out the mountains by the port though.”

(Y/N) laughed and asked him if he had any more stories. She sat there for twenty minutes listening to the cool adventures that wizards were able to go on. Natsu looked out the window and saw that it was starting to get dark, so he wished her well and thanked her for her new dessert and walked out into the breezy street. He arrived back home before it got too dark, and he found Happy laying on the couch with a fish in his paws. 

“There you are, Natsu. I thought you got lost.”

“I was just at that bakery. I wanted to try a brownie.”

\-----------

Everyone was hanging out at the guild, and, for once, it was calm. Everyone looked over towards Natsu to see that he was sitting in the corner of the guildhall with his head propped up by one of his hands. He sat there quietly, seemingly deep in thought.

“He’s planning something,” Gray said, convinced. “There’s no way that flamebrain would be this quiet otherwise.”

They all watched Natsu for a few more minutes before they dismissed it and continued with their usual activities. Lucy looked over at the table and saw him missing. She quickly scanned the guildhall for him, and she found him trying to slip out of the building unnoticed. 

“Where the heck are you going now?” Lucy questioned. 

“Yeah quit being sneaky. It’s unnerving.”

“What did you just say, you stripper?”

“You heard me, pyro.”

“Where are you going, Natsu?” Erza asked, appearing from nowhere. 

“Nowhere,” he dismissed. “I just need a walk.”

“He’s going back to the bakery,” Happy yelled from the bar. “The desserts are yummy and there’s this one girl who always makes something new.”

Natsu gave a secret glare to the exceed, knowing that he would not be able to shake their interrogation.

“Desserts?” Erza echoed. “I could go for a dessert. Do they have strawberry cake?”

“No,” Natsu quickly shut down.

“Yes they do, Natsu. I saw one in there the last time I went.”

Erza’s eyes lit up at Happy’s words and cleared her throat, stating, “I am going to join you on your trip to this bakery.”

“I wanna go too,” Lucy chirped.

“I could go for a cookie,” Wendy agreed.

Natsu sighed loudly and opened the doors to the guildhall and started to walk towards the bakery, the rest of Team Natsu in tow. They arrived, and the familiar sound of the welcoming bell sounded above them. They saw a pop of (H/C) from behind the counter, and soon the rest of (Y/N)’s head followed as she stood back up straight to greet the customers. Her eyes lit up when she saw Natsu and waved at him. 

“Welcome back, Natsu.”

She seemed to notice the group standing behind him and gave a small wave towards them. Erza immediately walked over to the cake counter and pressed her finger against the glass to point out the cake she wanted. Lucy looked at the cupcakes and Wendy and Charle ordered a cookie. Gray decided on a brownie. They all sat down at Natsu’s usual booth and started to praise the desserts. (Y/N) handed a customer their order and wiped off her apron. Natsu’s eyes followed her as she walked over to the reading nook to fix the books on the shelves. 

Lucy looked up at Natsu to ask him why he hadn’t ordered anything yet when she caught his eyes locked on the (E/C) eyed girl. Something seemed to click and a mischievous smile stretched across her face. 

“So Natsu,” she started, “why haven’t you gotten anything? You’re just sitting here.”

(Y/N) returned to the counter and pulled a plate out of the display case and made her way to their table. She placed the dessert in front of Natsu and smiled proudly. 

“This one is my favorite creation yet! It’s a cinnamon roll apple pie.”

Natsu immediately took a bit and gave a thumbs up to her. Her face expressed her content that he had liked it. Her eyes quickly took a look at the others at the table and welcomed them.

“My name is (Y/N). It’s nice to finally meet you. I’ve heard a lot about you all.”

“I’m Lucy,” the celestial wizard introduced as she shook her hand, “and this is Wendy, Gray, Erza and Charle. And Happy, but I think you’ve met him before.”

“I’m really glad that you all came. I love when new customers come in and taste our desserts for the first time. Let me know if I can get you anything.”

“Hey Natsu,” Lucy started, “how often do you come in here?”

“I dunno,” he answered as he continued to eat his slice of pie. 

“I’m pretty sure he comes in almost every day. Which is great because I always have someone to taste test my inventions.”

She was called over to the counter by one of the other works, so she waved and returned to the counter. 

“You like her,” Lucy sang.

Natsu continued to eat, not acknowledging that he had heard her statement. Lucy rolled her eyes and kicked his shin from under the table.

“Ow, knock it off. You’re gonna ruin my appetite.”

“Oh please,” Gray sarcastically replied, “nothing can ruin your appetite.”

“Is this why you’re always sneaking away? You want to come to see her?”

“No,” he quickly disagreed. “The desserts are good.”

“Aw, he has a little crush.”

Natsu wasn’t paying attention to her anymore, opting to focus on the girl smiling at one of the other customers. He caught himself and cursed.

“See? You like her,” Lucy teased.

The dragon slayer huffed and looked away from the girl. (Y/N) disappeared from his eyesight, but she quickly came back into his vision when she stood at their table. 

“Is there anything else I can get you?”

“May I have another cake to go?”

“Of course! Still strawberry?”

Erza gave an enthusiastic nod. Wendy ordered another cookie and Charle decided to try a cupcake. (Y/N) went behind the counter and both a new strawberry cake and a pie dish. She gave the cake to Erza in a box and wrapped up the rest of the pie for Natsu. 

“You don’t wanna keep it?” Natsu tested.

“Between me and you,” she quietly stated, “I snuck some extra ingredients and made two.”

Natsu rolled his eyes and said that she wouldn’t be able to sneak ingredients that were hers to begin with. She simply winked and pushed the pie towards him, giving a ‘shh’ motion before walking away and wishing them goodbye. 

“What did you mean by that?” Lucy pushed.

“She owns the place. She can’t steal what she pays for.”

“No way,” Wendy breathed. “I never would’ve guessed that she was the owner. She looks like a waitress.”

“She likes working with the customers, so she works as a waitress.”

Natsu stood up and pushed them all out the door. Before he could get them all out the door, Lucy yelled out to (Y/N). 

“Hey, just asking, but are you dating anyone?”

“Uh, no.”

“Great. Thank you! I loved your desserts by the way.”

\-------

“You have to ask her out.”

“No Lucy.”

“You have to.”

“Why are you so pushy today?”

“Because you like her and I think you would be cute together.”

“I don’t think--”

“I’ll ask her for you if you don’t do it first.”

Natsu groaned and leaned his head on the bar. Mira overheard their conversation and giggled. 

“Does someone need help asking for a date?”

“No, Mira.”

\----------

Natsu took his usual seat by the window and waited for (Y/N) to notice him. It was busy that day, and a lot of customers were lined up at the counter, so Natsu took his spot and watched for the lines to go down. Said girl appeared from the back door and greeted all the customers before quickly working her way through their orders. As usual, she was quick with the deliveries, so the line cleared pretty quickly. She noticed Natsu sitting at the window booth and gave a small wave. She reached under the counter and placed a dish in front of him. 

“Cake batter ice cream cupcake,” was her explanation. “Yellow cake with cake batter ice cream filling topped off with whipped cream.”

“Never heard of that one before.”

“It’s an (Y/N) Original,” she proudly stated, puffing out her chest. 

She took a seat across from him and grabbed one of the cupcakes.

“So any fun wizard things lately?”

“Not really. I’ve just been hanging around Magnolia all week. No jobs seemed interesting enough to get on that stupid train.”

(Y/N) tittered and teased him. Natsu smiled, but it quickly turned to a look of shock when he saw Lucy standing at the window. She tapped on the glass and waved. (Y/N) gave a happy wave back and motioned her inside. The bell rang a second later.

“Hey guys. So I can’t stay late, but I wanted to ask you to join us for a walk in the park tonight. It’s gonna be me, Wendy, Natsu, Erza and Gray. We would love to have you.”

“Since when are we going to the park?”

“I guess Gray forgot to tell you then. Hey Natsu, we’re going to the park tonight.”

Natsu rolled his eyes and took another cupcake. Lucy asked if she could try one, and (Y/N) instantly handed her one. 

“Well I’ll see you two tonight then. Meet at the opening of South Gate Park tonight at seven.”

The pair was left alone after Lucy left. (Y/N) shifted so that she sat on her legs in the booth. 

“You don’t have to go with us if--”

“Are you kidding? I’m still kind of new to Magnolia, and if you can believe it, I’ve never been able to walk through the park before. This will be fun!”

Natsu had to hide his smile so he wouldn’t give away the joy that shot through him.

\-----------

(Y/N) found Natsu at the entrance to the park and jogged over to him. 

“Where is everyone? Didn’t they say seven?”

“No idea,” Natsu spoke up. “I didn’t see them.”

They waited for fifteen minutes before something fell into place for Natsu. He inwardly groaned before facing (Y/N). 

“Listen, I think I know what’s going on right now, so I wanted to apologize.”

“Apologize? For what? Are they not coming?”

“I don’t think they ever planned on coming in the first place,” he muttered. 

“Huh?”

“They set us up.”

(Y/N) spun around to make sure that they weren’t there. Her eyes landed on Natsu’s aggravated look. 

“This is certainly a first for me,” she joked. “I don’t think I’ve ever had someone else’s friends set me up before.”

“If you wanna head home--”

“No way. I came to see the park and that’s what I’m doing tonight. Besides, it’s nice to spend time with you outside of the bakery.”

“Really?”

“Well yeah. I mean, you’re really fun to talk to and you’re like the only one that dares to try everything I come up with.”

“Well, uh, I guess we better get walking then.”

They slowly walked around the park, Natsu occasionally pointing things out to the girl. She had stars in her eyes as she took in the different trees and clearings where she could see the stars. She spun around to take in all the different features of the park. Natsu’s eyes were trained on her, and he watched her carefully. He took in the joy on her face and he couldn’t help but smile. 

“Hey Natsu, we should do this again sometime. But you know, without the third party setup.”

Natsu grinned and nodded. (Y/N) grabbed his hand and pulled him further into the park. And that is how it all started.


	67. Cop!Natsu x Criminal!Reader: Undercover [requested]

"Officer Dragneel, you know what you have to do?"

"Easy enough. Sneak inside, gather evidence, slip away, raid the place," he listed before turning to give a sarcastic addition. "I think I can handle a simple undercover. It's not my first time, sergeant."

"Good. Intel says that they are planning some big gun sale in about five months. Get info. And don't blow your cover with your antics."

"I don't have _antics_."

"Your cover was blown last time because you forgot to set your mic on a private station."

"That was one time," Natsu defended.

"Just don't fuck it up. This is important."

\------

"Do I seriously need to wear this stupid disguise?"

"No," Natsu's partner, Lucy, snickered. "But the sergeant thinks it would be good punishment."

Natsu rolled his eyes and took off the wig and glasses before grabbing his stuff and leaving the station. He grabbed the keys to the undercover car from the front desk and exited the building for the parking lot.

"Damn. This cover sucks. Why am I always supposed to play the bastard?"

\---------

"And who are you?"

Natsu looked up at the rather tall man. He had recognized him as Todd Davis, a middle man for the boss. His brown hair covered his eyes, and he was very muscular.

"I'm the guy that can get you fired," Natsu cockily replied. "I'm here to see Jamie."

"What do you want with Jamie?"

"Business that you have no right to know about."

Todd called up to Jamie, and the higher up told him to let the pink haired man inside and show him to the office. Jamie was, of course, not the big boss. Natsu would have to work up to that meeting, and he wasn't sure if he would ever be able to get to that point, but his job was to gather tangible evidence on him. All they knew was that his name was Mark; he works behind so many men that they couldn't even find a last name for him. Anyway, Natsu followed Todd up to the office and approached the desk where a stout man sat.

"Welcome aboard, William," Jamie greeted, calling Natsu by his undercover name. "I've heard good things about you."

"No offense," Natsu started, keeping up his arrogant cover, "but I've heard some pretty nasty things about you."

Jamie gave a loud belly laugh and dismissed Todd before waving Natsu to sit on a chair in front of the desk.

"So your boss says that you're a good runner."

"I would like to think so. I've only been working with him for years."

"Just to make sure," Jamie drawled. "I need to search you. I can't have any cops hanging around the business."

"Whatever man. I don't care. What do you want me to do? Strip?"

After the inspection, Natsu was given the all clear. You see, his precinct knew that he would be getting an initial search, so they had not wired him yet. He was led into the main room where another man that Natsu recognized as Lucas Hunt sat. Jamie snapped his fingers, and Lucas stood up.

"Lucas, show this newbie around, yes?"

"Sure thing. Let's go, newbie."

After about an hour's tour, Natsu was asked to return to the main living area. He leaned his head over the back of the couch and closed his eyes, trying to relax. A few minutes passed before he heard steps walking into the room. He peeked, only slightly opening his eyes, and he found Todd entering the room with a container filled with pills that Natsu could assume were drugs. He smiled to himself. Yes, this would certainly be an interesting job.

\------------

About a month had passed, and Natsu had become acquainted with all the lower and medium ranked workers. He had gone on multiple runs, and he had picked up on their delivery patterns. That night he was supposed to help with a rather big delivery to a supplier on the east coast. This guy paid good money, and he's going to get a good product. Natsu had learned that all of the products that Mark had supplied were high quality, which, quite frankly, impressed Natsu. In his experience, usually the product was subpar or slightly good.

Natsu was hanging out in the main room when steps were heard. He recognized the footsteps as Lucas, so he paid no attention to him as he entered the room.

"Is there anything else I can get you, miss?" Lucas questioned an unknown second person.

"No, that's alright," a soft voice responded. "I think I'll be fine. Thank you very much."

Natsu tried to remain indifferent, but his curiosity got the better of him as he tried to pinpoint who the woman was. His eyes cracked open and he scanned the room to find a woman standing in the doorway. She seemed to notice him at that time as well, and they made eye contact. His black eyes held her (E/C) ones.

"Um, hello," the woman hesitantly greeted.

"Who're you?" Came Natsu's bored tone.

"That, William, is (Y/N). You better be good to her. Mark will kill you otherwise. And that's no exaggeration. We lost a good runner that way."

Natsu quirked an eyebrow and questioned why she was so important.

"This is Mark's girlfriend, (Y/N). You best just do whatever she says."

"Oh Jamie, that's really not necessary," (Y/N) fretted. "I really don't like the special treatment."

"Either way," Jamie dismissed. "Wiliam, keep your mouth in line."

"Yeah yeah. Whatever."

Jamie left, leaving just (Y/N) and Natsu in the room. She made her way over the window and smiled as she watched a family of birds nesting in the tree in view.

"So your name is William then? It's nice to meet you," her soft voice broke through the silence.

"So you're Mark's girlfriend, eh? Wouldn't have guessed that."

"Huh? Why?"

"I've only known you for about two minutes and you already seem too soft-spoken to be with a big shot like that."

(Y/N) glared at him, but her gaze soon softened as her eyes returned to the window.

"Perhaps," was her only answer.

"You work for him, too?"

"Oh no. I could never do the things you all have to do. I'd be horrible at those kinds of jobs. Guns seem so unnecessary to be. All they do is hurt people. I couldn't bear to be responsible for giving someone a gun that will be used to harm another person."

"Then why the hell are you dating the biggest gun supplier in the country?" Natsu asked, bewildered by her answer.

"I don't know," she quietly admitted.

\---------

Natsu entered the main area to see (Y/N) standing by the window. By this time it had been almost two months undercover, and Natsu had learned a couple things about Mark from his conversations with the boss's girlfriend.

"Whatcha looking at?"

"The outside. I would love to go for a walk, but I'm not allowed to go for safety reasons."

"Seriously? What, do they think that you're gonna get picked up or something?"

"Not exactly. It's just that some of Mark's rivals know about me, and they would have no trouble getting to him by killing me."

"So you're just stuck in whatever house he dumps you in for the month? Talk about a lame situation."

"It's okay. I'm used to it."

Ah yes. And Natsu had also learned a couple things about (Y/N). She didn't want to be involved in all of this. There was severe doubt in her choice. When Mark and her had met, she had no idea about his work, and when she found out she was already in too deep to back out. She said that if she was being honest that she was having second thoughts on their relationship in general. She was way too unlike Mark and the business, and it was clear that she didn't belong at all. On top of that, she hadn't minded Natsu's personality, both the cover personality and his real one.

They had spoken almost every day, and his facade was slowly melting away when he was around her. He had learned that she liked (hobby), and she loved the outside, even if she could never leave the safehouses that Mark had put her in. Natsu took one look at her longing face and got an idea.

"Well you can't go outside alone, right?"

"That's right."

"Well what if someone took you?"

"I doubt anyone would want to chance it," she regrettably answered. "It's okay. I can just open a window. Mark said that he would get me a bird aviary so I can hear the chirping in the morning, so it's alright. I don't mind."

Natsu straightened his back and stretched his arms before yawning and saying, "Come on. Let's go. There's a park with some birds down the street."

"I can't," she replied. "I'm not allowed to--"

"What they know won't hurt them. Besides, you're not going alone. It's not like I'm gonna let the boss's girlfriend get shot or anything."

She took another look around to make sure that no one had overheard their conversation and slowly nodded, a huge smile present on her face. She exited the room to grab her jacket and met the undercover cop at the front entrance. They snuck to the park, and (Y/N) had darted over towards the bench that sat in the middle of the clearing.

"This is so beautiful," (Y/N) breathed. "It's been so long since I could do this."

"How long have you been in lockdown anyway?"

"Oh god. Four, maybe five years. It's been a long time."

Natsu looked shocked, but quickly hid it under his disinterested demeanor. They had spent about ten more minutes in the park before Natsu suggested they head back so that she wouldn't be missing for too long. They arrived back at the safehouse and slipped back inside. Once they got to the living space, (Y/N) gave Natsu a small hug.

"Thank you so much, Will."

\-------

Natsu cursed at himself and his situation. It was true: he had wiggled his way to speaking to the person that didn't mind sharing specific details about his target. But there was one problem, and it was a life or death situation. He was falling in love with the target's girlfriend.

"What do you think of this one, Will?"

Natsu snapped back from his thoughts when (Y/N) called him. He looked over to see that she was holding a small painting.

"Do you think it would look better above the couch or across from the window?"

"Uh, window."

"I was thinking that, too! That way the birds can see it as well."

Natsu quietly laughed at her logic. She was truly a kind and gentle soul. He had no idea how she had ended up with Mark, but from the stories it sounded like he was a good guy at first. Well, other than the illegal gun dealing business that he ran, but she said he brought her flowers on their first date, so I guess that evens it out. She always saw the good in people, and that was dangerous for her situation.

(Y/N) caught Natsu's distracted face and waved her hand to draw his attention.

"Will, are you okay?"

"Huh? Oh yeah. Just tired."

"Why don't you take a short nap then? I'll make sure you don't get in trouble for it. You seem like you need to rest."

"Oh no I'm fine. I'll just get something to eat. Don't worry about me."

"Are you sure?"

That was another thing. She was considerate, and she had no problem telling Jamie that he needed to take it easy on the guys at the safehouse. It was usually her saying something about their health and how they needed to feel the best they could to do a good job on their dealings. She baked cupcakes and cookies for all the guys on Sundays, and she did her best to make everyone's favorite meal.

"I'm fine. Don't you have to worry about that meeting anyway?"

"I wouldn't call it a meeting," she mumbled. "It's supposed to be a date, but he has a deal he needs to make at the same restaurant."

"I have a very insensitive question."

"You do? What is it?"

"If you hate your situation so much then why don't you just leave?"

"Because I've already been identified by the people that want Mark gone, and they could come after me even if I left him. The only option left for me is to stay here where I can be protected. I would never last out there by myself with all the people that want me hurt."

"I'm sure you can get some type of protection from the police or something."

"Me? The girlfriend of a major gun dealer wanted by the FBI? Get protection from the police? Will, it's not possible."

"You can always--"

"I have to stay here. I can't leave."

Natsu sighed and slowly stood up from the couch.

"Alright, I'll take you up on that nap then."

\-----------

They were alone in the living room, which is something that both of them were looking forward to. She had admitted that William was the only guy in the safehouse that she could stand. All the others were the typical overly muscular and overly boring guys. He was different, and if she was being honest with herself, she was starting to severely question her relationship with Mark in favor of spending time with the pink haired man. Natsu was looking at a map on his phone and (Y/N) sat on the same couch trying to look at a recipe.

"Whatcha looking for?"

"Lucas said that he likes roast beef, so I bought the meat and then realized I didn't know how to make it, so I'm trying to find a simple recipe for it. What's the map for?"

"Jamie wanted me to plan the routes for tonight."

"Are you going to be back for dinner?"

"Probably not," he said before flashing his grin at her and continuing, "So save me a piece for later, yeah?"

Her smile met his grin and she nodded. They sat in silence for a couple of minutes, just enjoying each other's company. (Y/N) took a look at him through lidded eyes and sighed.

"What's up? Can't find one?"

"I guess I'm just thinking of what might've happened."

"To what?"

"Well if I had just never met Mark then I would be able to have a normal life like the one I had before. I loved to just sit outside and go to places where I could learn stuff and now I'm stuck inside these boxes. I'm so sick of moving around every few months. I just want to stay."

"Are you leaving?"

"Not yet. But it'll probably happen soon. Which sucks because I finally met someone who I can actually stand in these places."

Natsu gave a confused 'me?' which earned a small nod from the (H/C) haired woman. Natsu chuckled and took a side look at her. (Y/N) looked shyly off to the side before she shifted in her spot to kiss his cheek. Natsu's eyes widened and he tried to say something, but he couldn't quite find the words. (Y/N) took that as a bad sign and started to apologize, but he just took her hands and pulled her closer, slowly bringing his lips to hers. They broke away and just looked at each other before they both jumped away from each other. Seconds later, Todd entered the room.

"What's got you two so jumpy today?"

"Nothing," both Natsu and (Y/N) quickly dismissed.

\------------

A couple months had passed, and Natsu had been walking a very dangerous line. For the past month, he and (Y/N) would meet secretly. Their relationship was one that both of them were looking for. Except a couple problems. (Y/N) was a crime boss's girlfriend and Natsu was a cop. Not to mention the fact that (Y/N) wasn't aware of him being a cop in the first place. He had a job to do, and he was letting his personal feelings get in the way, which is why the next part seemed that much more difficult.

"They're moving me today."

"Seriously? Why would they--"

"There's supposed to be a big deal going through tonight and they want me back at Mark's safehouse in case. It has much better security."

Natsu's stomach dropped. The deal wasn't supposed to go for another couple weeks according to both police intel and what he picked up from multiple conversations while staying in the house. He couldn't do anything until the location was revealed though, so he was stuck. He did what every nerve in his body didn't want to do. He felt sick to his stomach as he did the one thing that she didn't deserve in the slightest: he took advantage of the trust he had built up with her, and he exploited her kind and oblivious nature.

"Where's Mark's safehouse? Is it far enough away from the dealing spot?"

"The safehouse is at the edge of town by a bunch of office buildings and the river, but the deal is across town. He never lets one go down near his place. It's usually where he hides me and the higher ups."

Natsu took in a deep breath and went to speak, "Listen. I have something I need to--"

"(Y/N), let's go! We have to get you there within the next hour."

(Y/N) sighed and turned back to Natsu, giving him a bright smile and a squeeze of the hand.

"Thank you, Will. For everything. I hope that we meet again someday. You've brought me more happiness than the five years I've been in the messed up life."

"(Y/N), I really need to--"

She was called again, so she gave one last wave before hurrying towards the side entrance where one of the SUVs was parked.

"Fuck."

Natsu did what he had to do. He snuck into the back garden and discretely took out his phone.

"Hey, it's Dragneel. It's happening tonight, and I know where the bastard is staying. He leaves the safehouse at ten tonight."

With that, Natsu hung up and grabbed an empty bag before walking out the front door.

"Where're you going, William?"

"I got a special offer. Wanna come?" Natsu asked, a fake devilish smile on his face.

"Man only you would have the balls to do something like that today."

"Chickens."

He decided to go on foot, convinced the SUVs had trackers planted in them. He quickly made his way to the station and walked up to the front desk.

"Where's Sergeant?"

"Well hello to you too, Natsu," Mira, the front desk officer, greeted. "It's been a long time since I've seen you in here. I heard you got a huge bust coming tonight. Very well done."

"I need to talk to him right now."

"Gear up, Dragneel. It's your bust. You're being there. We have an hour before we raid."

"Sir, there's gonna be a civili--"

The sergeant silenced him and pointed Natsu to the SUV assigned to him.

"Stay in radio contact at all times, everyone hear?"

The entirety of the squad called back, "Yes, sir."

Natsu groaned and turned the car on, following the rest of the unmarked cars down to the river. His hands gripped the wheel to the point where his fingers turned white. They arrived at the house at 9:45 and waited for movement. They saw two figures in one of the windows upstairs. It was curtained, but Natsu could quickly recognize the smaller body as (Y/N). He had, afterall, come to know it over the months. He quickly looked towards the exponentially larger figure, concluding that it must be Mark.

"We have movement on red wall level two," came a voice through the radios they were all wearing.

Natsu started tapping his foot as he continued to crouch behind a rock in the front yard.

"Come on, (N/N). Leave."

(Y/N)'s hands started waving as she spoke, showing that she was upset. Mark waved it off in dismissal before retreating away from the window and further towards the center of the bedroom.

"Sergeant, we have ears. Want me to patch through?" Another voice spoke.

"Do it."

The conversation between (Y/N) and Mark started to broadcast, and everyone listened intently.

"Please Mark? All I want is to just go back to the way it was. I can't deal with all this."

"You knew what you were getting into."

"But that's the point, Mark! I _didn't_ know! You never mentioned any of this. You said you worked in business, not all this shit. I never signed up for any of this."

"And what are you gonna do about it?" Mark's cocky voice cut through the room. "You can't even step on a spider when it comes too close to you. You really think you can get out of this? You should know by now that nobody leaves unless they're in a bodybag. I'm not gonna make an exception for you."

"I just want to go outside and see the kids play in the park and watch the families."

"What's with you lately with all this family shit?"

"I just...I want something to feel normal for once. I can't take it just being locked up with a bunch of insufferable men all the time and then bounced around like a pinball. I always try with all my heart to make the best of it. I cook for the men and try to introduce things that would make it feel like home, but it never works. I don't want this anymore."

"You don't have a fucking choice."

"Sir," a cop's voice interrupted the feed, "should we count this woman as a civilian?"

"Not yet. She's an accomplice at the least."

Natsu tried to explain it but the sergeant wasn't taking any further conversation.

"Let go of me," (Y/N)'s attempt at a stern and threatening voice sounded.

The cops waited, watching what seemed to be Mark grabbing (Y/N)'s arm while he started to shout. Before they could get any more of the conversation, the front door opened to reveal what seemed to be a bodyguard out for a smoke break. He stood right next to what seemed to be a security padlock where a code was needed to open the door. A pair of SWAT rushed at the man, quietly subduing him and preventing the front door from closing. They waved some of the other SWAT into the building. A second later, a flurry of shots fired. The pair in the upstairs bedroom jumped, and Mark whipped the curtain back to reveal an entire brigade of police and SWAT standing on his front lawn.

"What did you do?" Mark hissed.

"I didn't do anything," (Y/N)'s scared voice replied.

"You called the cops, you lying--"

"I promise! I didn't. I swear."

She was pushed down violently, and, now that the curtain wasn't blocking their view, the officers could see that Mark had grabbed a gun. This was Natsu's breaking point, and without thinking he bolted into the house.

"Dragneel! Where the fuck are you going? Don't leave your post."

Natsu didn't even acknowledge his sergeant's orders. Shots continued to ring throughout the house. The pink haired officer rushed past the SWAT and frantically looked around the house for the staircase. He spotted it and was met with three bodyguards. He wasted no time in shooting them down as soon as they raised their guns, and he jumped over them to run up the stairs.

"You think you can just call the cops on me and live? Is that what you fucking think?"

"I-I swear. I d-didn't. Please put it down. I won't fight anymore. I promise. Just please."

"Dragneel!"

The voice of his livid sergeant seemed to not matter, just as the violent pounding in his ears didn't. Without a second thought, Natsu kicked down the door.

"Put the gun down, you asshole," Natsu growled.

"W-Will?"

"Dragneel, what is going on up there?!"

"Y-You're...a c-cop?"

Natsu went to say something when he heard the click of Mark's gun.

"Put the fucking gun down."

Mark grabbed (Y/N) and dragged her in front of him, smirking and taunting how the officer wouldn't chance trying to shoot him through the innocent woman. Mark had raised his gun to aim it at Natsu.

"(Y/N), you gotta stay really still, okay?"

"Why didn't you tell me you were a--"

She cut herself off with her own scream when a shot rang out. She felt blood splatter on her and she kept her eyes shut as she fell to her knees, not wanting to accept either outcome that could have happened. She felt someone crouch down in front of her, and by the absence of angry yelling, she was able to take a pretty good guess at what had happened. Her breathing was ragged and she started to hyperventilate.

"You're okay," Natsu soothed. "It's okay. You're safe."

Natsu went to help her up when she jumped up on her own.

_"Don't touch me."_

The malice in her voice was something Natsu had ever experienced from the woman before. She rushed over to the window to see multiple men being walked out in cuffs.

"(Y/N)--"

"You fucking used me, you bastard."

"Dragneel, get your ass down here now."

"You're a fucking cop for Christ's sake!"

"Dragneel!"

Natsu whipped his headset off and threw it to the floor.

"You need to listen to me, (N/N)."

"Don't you dare call me that. I can't believe you! I thought you were someone that finally got what I was saying."

"I do."

"No you don't. You did all this because you're a cop. I know how you undercovers work. You align yourself with whoever you can get the most information out of and then you fucking use them. Mark warned me about the possibility, but I never would've guessed that you would do that. I chose to believe that you couldn't possibly be a cop, and I trusted you."

"If you would just let me--"

"You said you loved me."

"And I meant every single word I ever said to you. I never expected to meet someone like you in all this, and I wanted to tell you but I couldn't risk tanking the job."

"Well obviously your job seems more important than basic human decency to you."

"Your boyfriend supplies guns to criminals! He aided in killing hundreds of innocent people."

She pointed behind him at Mark and started shouting louder.

"Well that boyfriend is dead now, so I guess you and your cop buddies don't ever have to worry about that now, do you?"

"(Y/N)," he pleaded, "I wanted to sneak you away so many times and bring you somewhere safe, but this was for the safety of so many people. I needed to see it through."

She stormed off into the adjoining bathroom and turned on the sink. Natsu slowly peeked around the corner to see her aggressively rubbing her face with a face towel.

"You're gonna hurt your face."

"This fucking blood won't come off," she bit back.

Natsu stepped in front of her and gently pushed her face towel and her hands down so he could look at her face.

"The blood's gone."

She continued to wipe.

"(Y/N)."

The woman dropped to her knees in a crying mess. Natsu looked on with worry clouding his eyes, and he crouched down to see her once again. He brushed a small piece of her (H/C) hair off the side.

"I'm so sorry. You didn't deserve any of this to happen, and I just hope you can get your old life back. We can put you into protective custody if you need it. We can make sure you're safe."

"I don't want your help," she affirmed.

At that point, the sergeant had appeared in the bedroom doorway. He took in the bleeding body of the ring leader and the open door to the bathroom.

"Officer Dragneel, you better get your fucking ass downstairs, now."

Natsu went to argue when he saw him start towards (Y/N).

"What're you doing?"

"I told you no more of your antics and you go sleeping with the target's girlfriend."

The sergeant stepped between Natsu and (Y/N), his tall figure looming over hers as she stayed on the bathroom floor.

"Stand up."

"What? Are you gonna arrest me now? For what, being trapped here?"

"(Y/N), he just wants to get you checked out. Come on."

"Oh and what are you gonna do if I don't? Shoot me?"

Natsu groaned and spun away from her to look out the bedroom window. He heard her standing in the bathroom, and the sergeant helped her outside to the steps so she could get checked out by a medic. She was brought over to an empty ambulance and she sat on the edge while they inspected her. Natsu exited through the front door a few minutes later, handing his gun over to the Internal Affairs representative and rushing over to the ambulance. (Y/N) spotted him and turned away from him.

"I don't know what to do to convince you," Natsu started, defeated, "but I really do love you."

The medic shined a flashlight in her eyes to check for a concussion before taking a look at her red arm from where Mark grabbed her.

"You look like you've had a rough day," the medic light-heartedly joked. "You don't seem to have anything concerning. I can get you some water if you want."

"I can get it," Natsu offered. "Can you help her with the blood?"

"All of the blood is gone," the medic countered, very confused.

Natsu gave her an 'I know' before giving her an informative look and making his way over to the other ambulance where there was a bottle of water. She let out a small 'oh' and turned back to smile at (Y/N).

"Let's get you cleaned up, yeah?"

Natsu returned a few minutes later and handed her the water before taking a good look at her blood stained shirt. He looked down at himself and removed his vest before taking off his sweatshirt underneath and handing it to her.

"You'll feel better once you're out of those. Take this."

Natsu was aggressively called over by his sergeant, so he gave her one last concerned look and walked over to the small group of officers. The medic looked at (Y/N) and smiled.

"He's really a good guy once you get to know him."

"I thought I already knew him, but I guess I don't."

She sat there in silence for thirty minutes, not engaging in any conversation with any of the officers or medics. Her eyes scanned the crowds of officers and found Natsu talking to who she had come to know as his boss. A loud sigh erupted from her.

"Can you call him over, miss?"

The medic nodded and walked over to the group, tapping Natsu on his shoulder. He turned around and listened to her words. His eyes wandered over to the ambulance and locked with (E/C) eyes. He quickly made his way over to her and sat next to her.

"You need to come clean about any little lie you've told me, right now."

The corners of his mouth twitched up and he held out his hand. (Y/N) stared at it for a bit, but her hand hesitantly met his.

"I love you," Natsu quietly spoke.

"I love you too, Wi...your name isn't William, is it?"

Natsu rubbed the back of his head and revealed his real name, which brought a small smile to her face.

"It suits you better than William."

She playfully bumped into his side before straightening out.

"Do you actually like my cooking?" She asked seriously.

"I do. Is that a deal breaker or something?" He joked.

She shook her head and looked over towards the house.

"Could use a bit more salt though."

(Y/N) rolled her eyes, leaning her back into his side as she faced the house. Natsu shifted so he could kiss her temple.

"You're free, (Y/N). You can enjoy your life now. Do what makes you happy. You deserve it."

"Are you going to keep the promise you made to me? When you said you would be by my side? Was that a lie to get me to tell you things?"

"No. I meant that. And I'll never leave your side as long as you want me there."


	68. Natsu x Reader: A Vow to You

This was all hard for (Y/N). Every day, every hour, every minute, every second. Everytime Natsu asked her for an opinion on something. Every time she was asked to help plan. Every time he started rambling about how excited he was. Her heart dropped, her stomach turned, and her eyes stung. 

“What about this one?” Natsu questioned as he held up a tuxedo. “Do you think this one is good?”

“Why am I here? I’m not a guy, Natsu. I know nothing about suits.”

“Yeah but I don’t know anything either, so I figured this could be fun!”

(Y/N) sighed before going over to a small rack and picking one out.

“Here. Try this one.”

Natsu walked out of the dressing room, playing with the collar. (Y/N) laughed quietly and walked over to him, gently placing his hands at his sides so she could fix the collar.

“You’re wearing your scarf, right? The collar shouldn’t really matter.”

“I, uh...I’m not wearing my scarf.”

(Y/N)’s face held shock and confusion as she stuttered, “What? Why? That’s like, the most precious thing to you. Why wouldn’t you wanna--”

Natsu rubbed the back of his head and explained, “I mean it is, but Lucy said that it should really be a formal wedding and my scarf kinda ruins it.”

She rolled her eyes and tried to hide her annoyance and sadness.

“Well then I guess we better get you one with a collar that looks decent. Take that one off and try this one.”

When he walked back into the dressing room, (Y/N) groaned and flopped down on one of the seats. She just wanted him to be happy. She wanted him to always have that contagious smile and that comforting laugh. But she also wanted the frequent sleepovers they had. And the “I was near your house so I figured I would come in through the window” days. And all the days that she fell asleep on his shoulder and she would wake up tucked into bed. She missed him, and he wasn’t even married yet. 

“Okay, this one feels really weird.”

(Y/N) looked up, shaking off her thoughts, and laughed when she saw Natsu in the suit.

“Oh yeah. That’s _definitely_ not the one.”

Natsu let out a frustrated groan and grabbed the next one to try on. Once the door shut, (Y/N) leaned her head to her knees and stayed there for a minute. She felt her nose sting, and she could hear her heartbeat in her ears. She tried to wipe the tears away when they started.

“What about this...what’s wrong?”

Natsu was immediately at her side, crouching down in front of her to try to figure out why she was crying in the middle of the store. She sniffled and waved it off before looking at his suit and smiling. 

“How do you feel in that one?”

Natsu looked at her for a few more seconds to make sure she was okay before he slowly stood back up and tugged on the sleeves. 

“I mean, these are a little long.”

“You can get them tailored.”

“What do you think? Would you marry me in this suit?” Natsu joked.

Her heart broke, but she returned his laughter.

“I think that’s the one.”

Natsu cheered and quickly went back to change. They walked out of the store and Natsu overdramatically breathed in the fresh air as he admitted how good it felt to finally be out of there. 

“So are you helping Lucy at all? Or am I not supposed to know about that?” Natsu asked as he winked. 

“Sorry Natsu. But Levy is the one that’s helping her the most.”

“That sucks,” Natsu said as he pouted. “So is it your turn now?”

(Y/N) stopped walking and looked at him confused, asking, “My turn for what?”

“To find a bridesmaid dress of course!”

(Y/N)’s eyes snapped to the ground as she admitted, “Natsu, I’m not in the wedding. You know that already.”

“Wait, what? Since when are you not in the wedding? I thought Lucy--”

“It’s Levy, Erza, Mira and Wendy. And even if I was, Lucy would be the one to pick it out.”

“Aren’t you the maid of honor?”

“No Natsu,” she laughed. “I’m not in the wedding at all.”

“That’s a mistake. I’ll talk to her about it later.”

“Natsu, really. It’s fine. There’s no need to debate it.”

“But don’t you want to? You sounded so excited when I told you.”

 _Yeah, a perfect coverup._ “But it’s fine. I’m happy just being there. Besides, this means I can make fun of you with Lisanna.”

Natsu pouted and told her that she was being mean, and (Y/N) just laughed it off. 

“So you have no idea what her dress looks like then?”

“I’m not telling you, Natsu.”

\------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Lucy!” (Y/N) shouted. “I have to talk to you about something.”

The celestial wizard stopped walking and turned to face the (H/C) woman.

“What’s up?”

“Well, it’s about the wedding,” (Y/N) said sheepishly.

“Okay? And?”

“Well it’s just that Natsu said he couldn’t wear his scarf and--”

“(Y/N), this is a _wedding_. He can put his scarf back on after.”

“But it’s just so important to him.”

“Well this wedding is important to both me and him. Believe me, I know how much he loves it, but I just want one hour.”

(Y/N) looked down and slowly nodded before turning to walk away. She stopped and turned back around.

“Can the scarf at least be _at_ the wedding?”

“What the heck does that mean?”

“Can it be at the wedding? Natsu doesn’t have to wear it, but it should still be there. It’s a gift from his dad after all.”

“(Y/N), I know you’re super close with him and all, but you should really just drop it.”

“Okay, sorry,” (Y/N) sadly gave in before walking down the street.

\--------------------------------------------------

“So you guys are his groomsmen, huh?” (Y/N) laughed as she looked at the group. “You guys are certainly a weird combination.”

Laxus, Gray, Gajeel and Romeo all looked at her and rolled their eyes.

“I hate to ask, but which one of you is the best man?”

Romeo happily spoke up and said that it was him. 

“You know, I was kinda hoping that. I don’t think any of the other guys could give a sincere speech.”

The other three gave her blank looks, causing her to laugh again. 

“So Natsu said you’re helping us with the suits? Why’s that?” Laxus asked. 

“Natsu doesn’t know anything about suits.”

“Neither do you,” Gajeel countered. 

“Well I picked out Natsu’s and he said that he wants something similar for all of you, so I’m here.”

“Whatever,” they all groaned. “Let’s just get this over with.”

\-----------------------------------------------------

“Natsu, you can’t just eat everything before Lucy gets here! You’re supposed to be picking out the cake _together_.”

He looked up at her with a mouth full of food and swallow before grinning. 

“But this way I’ll already know which ones I like. It’ll make the process so much faster. And then we can go get some lunch.”

“You just ate the equivalent of three whole cakes. And you’re still hungry.”

Natsu laughed maniacally and went to take another sample when you smacked his hand away. 

“Lucy’s gonna be mad, and she’ll blame me because I was supposed to be watching you.”

\-----------------------------------------------------------

Natsu screamed in frustration as he stared at the blank piece of paper. 

“What’s up with you, fire freak?”

He was so stressed that he didn’t even say a name back. He just placed his head on the table and groaned.

“I’m trying to write my vows and nothing is working. I wanna just ask Lucy what she wants in them, but she’ll just tell me that it’s my responsibility.”

“Well yeah, idiot. They’re your vows. It’s like the biggest part of the wedding.”

“Really?! Great, what am I gonna do now?”

(Y/N) walked into the guildhall and sat down at the bar with Cana. Natsu smiled and got up.

\----------------------------------------------------------

“So what’s got you so down?” Cana slurred.

“I just...I don’t know.”

“You can’t bear to see the person you love get married to someone else?” Cana guessed.

(Y/N) stayed silent, proving her suspicions. Cana took another sip of her alcohol and smiled.

“Why don’t you just tell him?”

“Right before his wedding? Are you kidding me? No, the best thing to do is to just keep quiet. He’s happy and I’m not ruining that.”

“Hey (N/N)!”

Cana smirked and turned away, “Speak of the devil.”

(Y/N) rolled her eyes at Cana and turned around in her seat to face the fire dragon slayer.

“I need your help.”

She raised an eyebrow, pushing him to answer. He took out the blank sheet of paper and held it out in front of her.

“What’s that?”

“The vows that I have so far.”

“Natsu,” she giggled, “it’s blank.”

“Exactly! I need your help.”

“I...can’t do that part for you. You have to do it yourself.”

“You gotta at least help me a little. Please?”

“I don’t know how much help I’m gonna be. The vows are supposed to come from your heart.”

\------------------------------------------------------------

_Why did I agree to do this?_

Natsu and (Y/N) were sitting in Natsu’s house as they tried to write the vows. Natsu groaned and laid on the floor. 

“Why is this so hard?”

“I have no idea. Your vows are supposed to be, like, coming to you naturally. It shouldn’t be this hard.”

They both just stared silently at the paper before they both sighed. Natsu seemed to get an idea, and he blushed and asked shyly.

“Can I try vows with you? I mean, maybe if I can get that down then I would be able to do Lucy’s. You know, like talking through it.”

 _Fuck._ “Uh yeah, sure. If you think that’ll help.”

Natsu pulled her up so she was standing in front of him and took in a breath.

“Okay. Are you ready?”

“I mean I’m not doing anything other than listening, so yes.” _No, I’m not. I’m really not._

“Here it goes then.”

She nodded stiffly and looked at the ground.

“(Y/N)--”

She snapped her eyes up and looked at him shocked, not expecting him to actually use her name. _Wow, this makes it so much harder._

“(Y/N), you and I both know how indecisive I can be at times. I simply don't like to make decisions. But if there is one decision in my life that I know is the right one, it's to spend the rest of my life with you. There is an infinite number of things I love about you. I love your thoughtfulness and your ability to keep me grounded.”

Natsu had stood closer to her and placed one of his hands on her cheek.

“I love your loyalty to me and our friendship. I love the way you weirdly get excited about the cakes at Hargeon’s bakery and I love how when you laugh really hard, your one eye starts to crinkle up. I promise to be patient with you, even if it means that I have to listen to your horrible jokes for the rest of my life. I can't imagine where I would be without you, and I cannot wait to continue this crazy journey with you by my side. I love you."

They both stood there in silence. 

_FUCK._

“Wow, that was, uh, really good,” (Y/N) finally spit out. 

“You really think so?”

“Yeah definitely.”

Another silence surrounded them, and they just stared at each other. Natsu looked like he was in a trance, and his hand twitched on her cheek. Just when their noses started to touch, (Y/N) turned her head off to the side so that his nose brushed her cheek.

“Well,” (Y/N) spoke up awkwardly as she tried to diffuse the situation, “we better get to converting that into vows for Lucy, right?”

“Who?” Natsu asked before he shook his head and stepped away from her. “Yeah let’s do that. But like, how?”

“Just speak from the heart like you did then. I mean, you were imagining her there the whole time, right? So it shouldn’t be much harder.”

“Right. I was totally imagining her. This should be...easy.”

\-------------------------------------------------------------

“Now Happy, what are you going to do?”

“I’m gonna hold the pillow.”

“And?”

“I’m not gonna sleep on the pillow.”

“And?”

“I’m not gonna take the ring off the pillow.”

“Good. This is an important job you have. The rings are important.”

“I still get to walk down with Asuka?”

“Of course you can. She’s the flower girl. Now you’re gonna do a great job, right?”

“Aye, sir!”

\-------------------------------------------------------------

“He did _what_?”

(Y/N) looked at Evergreen and repeated herself.

“He said his vows _to you_?! What is that boy thinking? Honestly, he’s such an idiot.”

(Y/N) placed her head on the table and groaned.

“I know! I thought that he would be saying his vows to Lucy, but he just whipped them at me! We spent the next four hours trying to convert them, and he ended up with a generic vow after all that.”

Cana decided to speak up, “So are you still sure you should let him go through with this?”

“What do you mean?”

“Well I mean it sounds a lot like you had a _moment_. Do you really wanna throw it away just like that?”

“Cana, he’s getting married. This isn’t the time to reveal a crush to the groom.”

“But it isn't a crush, (Y/N). You love him.”

“It doesn’t matter. He’s happy and that’s all that matters.”

\---------------------------------------------------------------

“Natsu!” 

He quickly looked around to find the voice and grinned when he saw his best friend. 

“Aren’t you supposed to not see the groom before the wedding?”

“That’s the bride first off,” (Y/N) laughed. “Second, it’s just the people who are getting married. Everyone else can see you two beforehand.”

“So what’s up then?”

“I, uh...just wanted to wish you luck. Oh and also,” (Y/N) smiled as she opened up the small bag she carried to reveal his scarf, “I kinda snuck this in. I figured that you would want it here. But you have to promise not to tell Lucy or else she’ll yell at me.”

Natsu laughed and looked at the scarf before grinning. He pulled her in for a tight hug. 

“Thanks for everything, (N/N). Seriously. I don’t know where I’d be without you.”

(Y/N) smiled sadly and gently hugged back, tears threatening to fall yet again. 

“Of course,” she said as she forced a happy tone, “I’m sure you’d do the same for me.”

Natsu looked down at her with an unreadable look. (Y/N) raised an eyebrow at him, but gasped when she looked at the clock. 

“You gotta go, Dragneel! You have to get the cathedral.”

“Oh crap!”

—————————————

Everyone filed into the cathedral and took their seats. Natsu had pulled some strings, and by that I mean begged Lucy, to have (Y/N) sit in the front row with Cana, Gildarts and Makarov. She kept fidgeting in her seat and looking back towards the doors to the cathedral. 

“Child, is everything okay?”

“Yeah of course. Everything’s fine.” _Absolutely not! How could I ever be okay with this?_

“Are you sure, shrimp?” Gildarts pressed. “You look anxious.”

Natsu made his way to the altar and stood there, clearly panicking. She waved her arms to catch his attention and pointed to her bag before giving him a thumbs up, all while dying inside. She pointed to Natsu and laughed.

“I guess I share nerves with him after all,” (Y/N) tried to joke, referencing the joke everyone had about them being so close that they could feel each other’s moods.

“That’s not it at all,” Cana shouted, clearly drunk.

“Cana,” (Y/N) hissed. “You’re not supposed to yell at a wedding.”

“I don’t even know why this wedding is happening,” Cana continued.

The guests started staring at the group. (Y/N) frantically tried to silence her, and even Gildarts looked down at his daughter and tried to get her to stop talking, but nothing was working. Natsu looked over and raised an eyebrow at them. Makarov and (Y/N) assured him nothing was wrong and that Cana was just drunk, and Natsu chuckled to himself. 

“Cana, you must stop,” Makarov scolded. “This is a wedding and you must be respectful.”

“Oh come on,” Cana argued. “She can’t just sit here.”

(Y/N) realized what she was doing and gasped. 

“We all know that she really wants to--”

(Y/N) leaped over towards her and covered her mouth. By this point, basically the whole crowd was staring at them. Natsu was about to walk off the altar to see what was wrong when (Y/N) glared at him and pointed back, scolding him that he should stay up there.

“But I just wanna make sure--”

“Just go back,” (Y/N) shouted. “Lucy is coming in any minute.”

Cana spoke up again, “But you gotta tell--”

“Cana, please stop.”

“Let’s take a vote everyone!” Cana shouted, drawing the attention of everyone again. 

“Cana,” Gildarts asked, “what are you doing?”

“Raise your hand if you think--”

“Cana!”

“If you think (Y/N) should finally--”

(Y/N) knew where this was going, so she stood right up, looked at Natsu, mouthed an “I’m so sorry,” and ran out the door.

“Tell Natsu that she’s in love with him?” Cana finished, hiccuping. 

Everyone gasped and turned to see that the door to the cathedral had closed.

“W-what?” Natsu stuttered, completely shocked. 

“Dude, she’s loved you for like, three years now,” Loke countered. 

“ _You_ knew this and didn’t think to tell me?!”

Lisanna hesitantly spoke up, “I mean, we thought you knew.”

Macao added, “I mean, everyone else did.”

“She...all this time? But she helped me with everything! She picked out my suit and she helped with the cake and my vows and...why?” Natsu breathed.

Wakaba explained, “She just wanted you to be happy, Natsu. She said that that was enough.”

The doors opened and revealed the bridal party. Once all the bridesmaids and groomsmen were standing at the altar, a couple of them looked at Natsu. 

Gray tested, “Hey Pyro, you alright?”

“Salamander, focus.”

“Why do you look like you’re gonna hurl?” Laxus questioned. 

“Big brother Natsu, what’s wrong?”

“Nothing. Nothing’s wrong,” Natsu said, almost like he was trying to convince himself.

The doors opened again, and Lucy came walking down the aisle in her wedding dress. Natsu looked at her and steadied his breathing before standing up straight.

“Is he really going through with this?” Juvia whispered.

“He’d be an idiot if he did,” Freed whispered back.

Laki groaned, “And we all know how much of an idiot he is.”

“We are gathered here today…”

The wedding proceeded as normal, but Natsu couldn’t stop staring at the empty seat in the front row. Lucy glared at him, and he quickly looked away and smiled shyly at her.

“I do.”

His eyes wandered over to his groomsmen and then to the door.

“And you?”

“Huh?”

“Natsu,” Lucy whisper-yelled, “what’s wrong with you today?”

“I, uh…”

The priest sighed and repeated, “Well son, do you?”

Natsu was about to say he would when he saw everyone’s eyes wandering to the door.

“I’m sorry, Lucy. I can’t.”

“What?!”

Natsu sprinted out the door and into Magnolia. 

“Natsu!”

\-----------------------------------------------------------

It was about four hours since the incident, and (Y/N) was back at her apartment. She closed her eyes as she relaxed in her tub, momentarily forgetting the events that led up to that point. She groaned and placed a cloth over her eyes to try to block out the outside world. 

“I can’t believe this. I was so close and Cana had to do that.”

She hit the water with her hand and huffed when some hit her face. She continued to lay there with the cloth over her face. 

“I just need to see him get married and then maybe I’d--”

“Maybe you’d what?”

She whipped the cloth off her face and gasped when she saw Natsu leaning against the door. 

“Out!”

“Why?” Natsu asked innocently.

“I’m in the tub!”

“So?”

“I’m naked!”

“Oh,” Natsu said before he blushed and turned around and shut the door.

She quickly got dressed and drained the tub. After taking a deep breath, she opened the door and stood with her arms crossed. 

“What do you think you’re doing here?” (Y/N) scolded. “You’re a married man. You should be with--”

“I’m not.”

“You’re not what?” (Y/N) asked, annoyed and desperate to escape the situation.

“I’m not married.”

“What are you talking about?”

“I didn’t get married. I couldn’t.”

“Natsu,” she whispered. “I’m so sorry. I really didn’t mean to cause trouble, but Cana wouldn’t stop and now Lucy won’t marry you and it’s all my--”

“It wasn’t Lucy.”

“Huh?”

“It was me, (Y/N). I couldn’t do it.”

“Why?”

“How could I possibly marry someone when I was just told that the closest person to me has loved me this entire time?”

“I’m sorry,” she whispered again as she started to cry. “You must hate me now. I swear I never wanted you to find out because I knew that this would happen.”

“Listen--”

“And now you’ve rushed over here and--”

Natsu laughed and pointed out the fact that he was wearing his regular clothes and not his suit anymore.

“I’ve been thinking for about four hours now,” Natsu started, “and yet I still can’t really find what to say.”

“I’m prepared for any bad or harsh reactions there are. Believe me, I’ve been thinking of different ways to escape town.”

“You’re not going anywhere.”

Natsu stepped closer to her and grabbed her before she could step back, hugging her tightly.

“Natsu?”

He just squeezed her tighter. She could feel him sniffing her lightly as they hugged, something that he did when he needed comfort.

“Natsu, I’m really sorry. I never meant for this to happen.”

“You know,” Natsu mumbled as he continued to hold her, “I always questioned why Lucy’s scent couldn’t calm me down.”

“Really? That must be so frustrating for you.”

“But yours does.”

“Well I mean we’ve been friends for years,” (Y/N) laughed. “I would hope that I provide even the slightest bit of comfort.”

“And it caught me off guard when Lucy said I probably shouldn’t wear my scarf. But I was somehow not surprised when you snuck it in anyways to calm me down.”

Natsu nuzzled his head in her neck, also something that he did regularly.

“And I found it particularly strange how I couldn’t think of any vows for Lucy, but yours came out without me even thinking.”

“I mean vows are a really tricky thing when it comes to the real thing, so you probably were able to do that because it didn’t matter if it sounded silly.”

He pulled back and held her at an arm’s length, staring right into her soul.

“I wasn’t meant to marry Lucy, (N/N).”

“Of course you were! The wedding was already set up.”

He sighed and held her head in his hands and pulled her in for a soft but passionate kiss. Her eyes snapped open and he pulled away.

“N-Natsu, what are you--”

“Is it stupid of me to not realize this entire time?” Natsu asked as he flopped on her bed. “Am I really that oblivious?”

“Why did you just--”

“Or maybe it was me trying to convince myself that something like that would never happen and that I would be better off staying silent.”

“I really just wanna know why you just--”

He grinned and hopped off the bed before repeating the kiss again. 

“Natsu! Why do you--”

“I love you.”

“...What?”

“I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you,” Natsu repeated.

“But--”

“I always thought that I didn’t have a chance. I mean, we’re best friends, right? I was always afraid that you saw me as a brother or something and that you’d never love me like that. And then I figured that I might as well try to love someone else, but it came back to you.”

“Natsu, I--”

He held her close and placed his forehead on hers as he spoke, “It always comes back to you.”

“Natsu, you need to get back to Lucy and marry her.”

“No. I’m not marrying her.”

“Today is a day of heightened emotions for you two, and you’re just shocked. It’ll be back to normal tomorrow and then you’re gonna regret running out and--”

“You’re not listening,” Natsu laughed. “I’m not marrying someone I don’t love when the person I’ve loved for years loves me back.”

“Natsu…”

The dragon slayer just gave his usual grin and tugged her closer to him before pulling her into another tight hug. She inhaled slightly as she buried her face in his chest. He loosened his grip and leaned to kiss her forehead. He could see that she was crying and he panicked.

“Wait, why are you--I didn’t mean to--hey come on, stop that.”

She just looked at him and continued to cry, but she had a small smile on her face.

“You’re being, like, super creepy right now (N/N).”

“It’s just...I’ve been holding back my tears for the last couple months and I don’t have to anymore.”

“Well?”

“What?”

“I don’t know. A ‘wow Natsu you’re the best guy ever and I’m gonna always listen to everything you say’ would be nice, but I think I can settle for an ‘I love you too’ if you mean it.”

They looked at each other and started laughing loudly, and when the laughter died down (Y/N) kissed his cheek.

“I love you too.”

“I have one more matter to deal with here.”

She looked at him confused and saw that he was grinning again. 

“You still have my scarf, and I’ve been waiting to wear it again all day.”

She giggled and grabbed his scarf from her couch and walked it back over to him before gently wrapping it around his neck. 

“So,” Natsu started, joking, “would you let me marry you in my scarf?”

“Natsu, you can wear what you’re wearing right now and I wouldn’t care.”

They both smiled at each other again, but after a moment (Y/N) huffed and stomped towards the door.

“Wha--where are you going?”

“To yell at Cana. I have a few words for her.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Requests are OPEN


	69. Natsu x Reader: A Vow to You Pt. 2 [requested]

“Are you sure this is a good idea?” (Y/N) hesitantly questioned. 

“Why wouldn’t it be?” Natsu countered. 

“It’s just, well...I mean it’s only been like a year.”

“So?”

(Y/N) sighed and walked over to the array of cakes and sat down on the couch in front of them. She patted the spot next to her and he immediately sat down before going for the cakes. She slapped his hand away and gave him a small glare. 

“I mean we’ve known each other for like ten years. I think a year won’t hurt us.”

“That’s not what I’m talking about,” she muttered. “What about Lucy?”

“What about her?”

“Natsu,” she mumbled before pinching her nose, “you walked out on her and now you’re asking her to be in the wedding.”

“So?”

“Alright you two,” a new voice interrupted, “eat as much as you like!”

Natsu’s eyes lit up and he wasted no second in getting at the cakes again. She saw the sparkle in his eyes as he looked at them. 

“Miss,” (Y/N) addressed, “you’re probably gonna regret saying that.”

And she did.

\-------

“Lucy!”

Said celestial wizard looked over her shoulder and saw (Y/N) jogging down the road to catch up to her. She stopped walking and waited for the (H/C) haired wizard to reach her. (Y/N) leaned over, out of breath, and gave a sheepish smile. 

“Listen, I just wanted to make sure that you’re--”

“I’m being a bridesmaid and that’s final,” she sternly stated. “Now I will only accept a shift if it means that I’m the maid of honor, but no less!”

(Y/N) blinked a few times, trying to take in Lucy’s words.

“Are you...sure?”

“(Y/N), as much as I would’ve loved to be able to get married, I knew as soon as I saw you two together that it was the right move. If I’m being honest, you two are much better than we ever were.”

“But--”

“Let’s face it (N/N), you’re the only one equipped to deal with him for the rest of your life. I can easily see us getting into a fight at some point over something stupid, so I’ve come to terms about it. Now back to the serious part now,” Lucy stated, “I am in the wedding whether you like it or not.”

(Y/N) laughed quietly when she saw Lucy start to giggle. 

“Besides,” she added, “you can probably just take the plans from my wedding and use it for yours. It would save you a lot of stress and I can walk you through it.”

“Thank you, Lucy.” 

\-------

“We meet again,” (Y/N) joked. 

“I don’t get why we can’t just wear the suits we had for the last one,” Gajeel complained. “I ain’t doing this again because the Salamander couldn’t make up his mind.”

(Y/N) rolled her eyes and replied, “You can get the same ones, but you rented them last time, so you’re going to have to find them again. But I mean, feel free to just pick one that you like.”

“Shouldn’t Natsu be doing this?” Laxus grunted. 

“Yeah I mean you’re supposed to be doing the bride stuff,” Romeo explained. “Why do you have to do the groom stuff too?”

“Because that pyro doesn’t know a single thing about weddings. Let’s just get this over with.”

\-------

“I don’t know about that one,” (Y/N)’s voice came. “It doesn’t look like something I’d wear.”

“What about this one?” Mira asked.

(Y/N) took in the dress, noticing the lace around the waist and the long train in the back. It had beads around the top and a slightly off-white color to it. She tilted her head a little before eventually shaking her head. 

“Not that one.”

Wendy held up a plain dress with a sweetheart neckline. (Y/N) shook her head again. This went on for two hours. 

“I’m never gonna find one,” (Y/N) whined. 

“Nonsense,” Erza spoke up, “you just have to keep looking.”

(Y/N) looked off to the side and sighed. Something caught her eyes, and she focused on a lace off the shoulder dress. The back was just as beautiful as the front, and there was detailing that captivated her. She could hear someone laugh, and when she turned around she saw Mira smiling.

“I guess we found it.”

\-------

“What does it look like?”

“I’m not telling you.”

“Come on, I bet it’s super cool.”

“No Natsu. I’m not telling you.”

Natsu huffed and took a seat at his usual table with Team Natsu. (Y/N) rolled her eyes and joined him, poking his cheek until he started to smile. She left for the bar and quickly returned with a plate of food, which Natsu had, of course, started to pick at it. (Y/N) went to say something, but she decided against it and leaned into his side. He stopped eating momentarily and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek before returning to his task. The (H/C) haired wizard went to grab some of the food off the plate when Natsu started to slide it away from her. She let out a ‘tsk’ before sitting up straight. 

“It’s _my_ food.”

“What’s yours is mine.”

“We’re not married yet, you jerk. Besides, it’s supposed to mean that we share things, not take them away from each other.”

Natsu shrugged and continued to eat. 

“Do you have your things written down?”

“What things?”

“You know,” Natsu continued as he waved his hand around, “those things you say to each other.”

“It’s vows, you idiot,” Lucy scolded. “Jeez. You would think you’d know that by now.”

Natsu rubbed the back of his head and gave a ‘my bad’ before turning back to Lucy.

“Wanna help me write my--”

“As if.”

(Y/N) had discretely slipped the plate back over in front of her and started to eat. Natsu went to eat something when he was met with an empty space. He looked to the side to see (Y/N) eating with a smug smile on her face. 

“Are you gonna help me?”

“I mean, I guess? Though I think that defeats the whole purpose of saying them at the wedding then.”

Natsu moaned in frustration and stood up suddenly. 

“Where’re you headed?”

“To write this stuff. It took so long last time,” he complained. 

\-------

Natsu and (Y/N) were laying on the couch when (Y/N) let out a breath.

“What is it?”

She scooted closer to him and draped her arm across his stomach and pressed her head into his side. Natsu instinctively moved his arm to pull her closer and rested his head on top of hers. They sat like that for a couple minutes before (Y/N) started to squirm. Natsu started to laugh and ask her what she was doing. She just leaned up and gave him a small smile.

“So are we gonna actually go on some trip afterwards?”

“I mean, you can’t really take the train, so maybe just a short one to like Akane Resort or something. We don’t even have to.”

“Hmm. What about Crocus?”

“That’s really far for you, isn’t it?”

“I mean, I kinda have to return that crown anyway, so--”

“You never gave that back?!”

\-------

(Y/N) nervously paced around the room. Erza had very firmly told her to stop, so she settled for shifting from one foot to the other. Her thoughts were racing, her heart was pounding, and her stomach buzzed with wasps. 

“You’ll be fine, (N/N).”

“But what if--”

“I mean, he’s already walked out once. He’s surely not going to do it again.”

(Y/N)’s eyes widened and her mouth dropped. 

“Erza!” Lucy and Mira shouted. 

“Don’t worry about that at all, (Y/N),” Lucy soothed. “There’s no way he would leave you there. I mean, you two have known each other for like ten years now. He would tell you. Besides,” she joked, “I already told him that I’d kill him if he walked out on another wedding.”

(Y/N) took in a deep breath and faced the mirror. She closed her eyes and steadied her heart before opening her eyes and staring at herself, taking in how she looked in the dress and the way her hair was done. Mira came up behind her and zipped the dress, smiling as she looked into the mirror.

“See? You’re almost there!”

\-------

“If you run out on this one I’m never being part of another one, got it you idiot?”

Natsu huffed and turned away from Laxus and grabbed his suit jacket. 

“You’re actually going through with this one, right?” Gray cautiously asked. 

“Well duh. Why wouldn’t I?”

“Well you said you were last time and you bolted.”

“That’s because his heart wasn’t in it,” Romeo spoke up. “This time it’s perfect.”

“You all are making me nervous!” Natsu exclaimed. “Knock it off.”

\-------

Natsu was standing in front of everyone at the Cathedral and looked around. His eyes scanned the crowd and took in a deep breath, fiddling with his scarf that draped across his neck. A couple minutes later, the doors opened and revealed something that made his heart stop. She was there, dressed in a captivating gown and smiling nervously. This feeling was nothing like the last time. He couldn’t look away from her as she slowly made her way down the length of the Cathedral. She made a little hop onto the altar and gave another warm smile towards him. 

“Hey,” she teased, “your suit looks familiar.”

Natsu chuckled and grabbed her hands. The corners of his mouth twitched upwards, and he looked off to the side. The official arrived a few seconds later and took their place at the front. 

“Now, are we sure this time?” They tested.

Natsu huffed and nodded. They stood in front of everyone while the official spoke. It came time for the vows, and Natsu went first.

“I’ve known you for ten years, and I felt like I knew everything about you, but last year made me realize that after all this time, I’m still learning. I know now that you have to sleep with (number) pillows, and the volume of your footsteps. I don’t know what I’d do without you, and yes, that means your lame jokes as well. Because I love you.”

(Y/N) sniffled quietly and quickly wiped a tear away. 

“You’re an idiot.”

“Hey!” 

She laughed quietly before continuing, “You’re an idiot, but it’s the type of idiocy that makes anyone smile. I think this is the longest you’ve stayed still in your life, and I haven’t heard you yelling yet, so it’s kind of unnerving. But I love the way that you try to fight in your sleep, even if it means potentially getting kicked in the side in the middle of the night. And your smile brings so much happiness to me. I could look at it forever. Because I love you.”

Both of their smiles looked like they were going to break their faces. The official started with the script. 

“And do you take him to be your lawfully wedded husband?”

“I do.”

“And you, young man? What’s the answer this time?”

Natsu rolled his eyes before smiling wide and turning to the crowd. 

“Anyone got any last minute love confessions?” He taunted.

(Y/N)’s face erupted into a deep scarlet. He looked over his shoulder and playfully winked at her.

Loke stood up from the crowd and shouted, “My dear (Y/N), I have been in love with you for years, and I would hate to see an angel marry anyone other than the leader of celestial beings.”

“You’re not even the king,” Natsu flatly countered. 

“Well?” The official pressed.

Natsu chuckled and turned back to (Y/N), taking her hands again.

“I do.”

The official clapped their hands and let out a comical breath, causing everyone to start laughing. Natsu wiggled his eyebrow and placed his hands on (Y/N)’s cheek before pressing their foreheads together.

“You should kiss your husband now,” he playfully whispered. 

“Actually, I think you’re supposed to kiss me.”

“But I proposed, so it’s your turn to make the first move,” Natsu matter-of-factly stated. 

(Y/N) rolled her eyes and gave a warm smile before slowly kissing him. She was pulled back into him when she went to pull away, Natsu laughing quietly and kissing her forehead. 

“I love you.”

“I love you too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Requests are OPEN.


	70. Natsu x Sad!Reader: super secret strawberry cupcakes

Natsu and (Y/N) were usually seen together every day. It was no surprise when they would walk into the guildhall together with Happy. It wasn’t shocking when they would go on requests together (with or without Team Natsu). The three of them spent every minute together, so it was weird to Fairy Tail when Natsu and Happy walked into the guildhall without her. They sat down at their usual table and ordered food before inhaling it. Lucy and Gray were the first ones to break their stare and wander over to the fire mage and exceed. 

“Hey guys, where’s (Y/N)?”

“She’s having a solo day.”

“Solo day? Why’s that?”

“Today’s the day her teacher died, so she’s spending it alone.”

“That makes no sense. Wouldn’t she want someone there?”

“No exactly,” Gray commented. “I know I like to be alone when Ur’s anniversary comes up.”

Natsu nodded and continued eating. Lucy had continued, saying that (Y/N) didn’t seem like that type of person, but the two guys just insisted. 

“Well I’m going over there.”

Natsu looked at Lucy funny before swallowing and protesting, “She said she wanted to be alone, Lucy. You gotta leave her be.”

“I don't believe she actually wants to be alone.”

Lucy had left to go to (Y/N)’s apartment and stopped in front of the door. She heard shuffling inside, and there was a clanging a few seconds later. Lucy took in a deep breath and softly knocked.

“Natsu, I told you I wanted to be--oh, hi Lucy.”

“Uh, hi. I just wanted to check in on you. Natsu said it’s a hard day.”

(Y/N) crossed her arms and huffed before asking, “Did Natsu send you over here? Because I told him that I didn’t want any surprises today.”

“Uh, no. I came here because I was worried. Is everything okay?”

(Y/N)’s bright smile appeared, and she assured Lucy that she was fine before quietly asking her to leave so she could continue with her cooking.

“Maybe you can bring whatever you’re cooking back to the guild when you feel up to it! It smells great.”

“It’s my mom’s super secret strawberry cupcakes!”

Lucy smiled and wished her well before returning to the guild. She sat down at their table and sighed.

“Okay, you’re right. She’s fine.”

“Told you. She wants to be alone.”

“I do have to say though: her cupcakes smell great.”

Natsu’s ears perked up at the mention and turned to her with a serious look.

“Is she baking her mom’s super secret strawberry cupcakes?”

“Uh, yeah. How did you--”

Natsu suddenly stood up and stretched before flashing his signature grin towards Lucy.

“Well I’m sure she needs just a little visit, right Happy?”

“Aye, sir!”

Lucy rolled her eyes and muttered, “You just want her food.”

The dragon slayer told Happy that he would go alone and promised to bring back some for him, and Happy readily agreed before joining Charle at her table. Natsu made his way through town and quickly arrived at (Y/N)’s apartment. 

“She won’t let me in through the door, so…”

He had jumped onto the side of the building and peeked through the window to see (Y/N) facing the oven. Deciding to forgo knocking on the window, Natsu simply jumped in. After successfully infiltrating his friend’s apartment, he creeped over to the couch and watched her carefully. 

“So I heard you’re making your mom’s super secret strawberry cupcakes.”

(Y/N) didn’t flinch at the sudden voice. In fact, she had no reaction at all. Natsu let out a deep sigh and slowly made his way over to (Y/N). She was staring blankly at the oven, seemingly in a trance. Natsu reached in front of her and turned the oven off before grabbing her shoulders and tugging her away from it. This seemed to snap her out of it, as she whipped her head over her shoulder.

“Natsu? When did you get here?”

“I’ve been here for fifteen minutes (N/N).”

“Oh. I must’ve been too concentrated.”

“No, you were staring at nothing again.”

“Why did you come?” She softly asked. “I thought you said you were gonna stay away.”

“I was, but Lucy said you were making super secret strawberry cupcakes,” Natsu casually mentioned. “And you only make those when you’re about to have a breakdown.”

“I do?”

Natsu chuckled softly and guided her over to her couch, making her sit down beside him. He had wrapped his arm around her shoulder and gently pulled her into his side, rubbing her arm comfortingly. This seemed to push her over an edge that she did not realize she was standing on. She started to cry, her loud sniffles and sobs echoing into the apartment. Natsu held her tighter and hummed, doing anything that he thought would help. (Y/N) gripped his overcoat and held on, almost desperate that he would disappear if she let go. 

“Why do I...why do I always do this?” She frustratedly growled. “I should be used to it by now.”

“You can’t really ever get used to losing someone precious to you,” Natsu spoke. “Sometimes time doesn’t help, and that’s okay.”

After a little while, (Y/N) had calmed down a bit, and they sat on the couch in silence. She continued to snuggle into his side, and he still rubbed her arm. The (H/C) girl looked over to the oven and gasped before darting over to the kitchen. She opened the oven door and saw that her cupcakes were not burnt.

“What?” She asked, bewildered to see the perfectly fine cupcakes. 

“I turned off the oven, (N/N).”

(Y/N) smiled gratefully and turned the oven back on, continuing to make the cupcakes. When they were done, she pulled them out and laid the tray on a cooling rack. 

“Do you want one?”

“Of course I do,” he replied, offended. “They’re your mom’s super secret strawberry cupcakes.”

She giggled and got out the frosting and handed him a knife so he could help put it on. They both concentrated, their tongues sticking out slightly. When they were done, they brought a couple over to the couch and talked about nothing. 

“What’s the strangest ice cream flavor you’ve ever tried?”

“Apple.”

“Apple?”

(Y/N) nodded and made a gagging motion. Natsu laughed at her “explanation” and continued to eat his cupcake. She had managed to fall asleep midway through eating her cupcake, which shocked Natsu because he had never witnessed her not finish her super secret strawberry cupcake. He took the cupcake from her hand before it could fall on the floor and ate the rest of it. After that, his hands slid underneath her, and he picked her up to carry her over to her bed. He set her down gently and pulled the blankets over her, smiling at the peaceful expression on her face. He turned around to the front door to go back to the guildhall when he heard her soft voice. 

“Natsu?”

He turned to look at her and saw that she was sitting up an outstretched hand.

“Can you please stay? I don’t wanna be alone right now.”

Natsu smiled softly and nodded, making his way back over to the bed and pushing her over so he could join her. (Y/N) instinctively scooted closer to the salmon haired wizard, quickly falling asleep as Natsu stroked her hair. 

\---------------------------------------------

The next day rolled around, and everyone was met with the familiar sight of (Y/N) with Natsu and Happy. She cheerfully hopped over to Team Natsu and held out a container of cupcakes.

“There are my mom’s super secret strawberry cupcakes! I made enough to share.”

Erza’s eye lit up at the mention of strawberry cake, and she was the first of the group to take one from the container. (Y/N) smiled brightly as her friends ate her cupcakes and turned to Natsu to give him the last one.

“Thanks.”

“No, thank you.”


	71. Natsu x Reader: Forsaken [request]

There was something everyone knew about (Y/N): she didn’t like being left alone. Growing up, she was always left alone. Her friends would distance themselves from her, leaving her to play by herself. In fact, everyone she knew left her behind. So it was no shock to see (Y/N) clinging onto Natsu like her life depended on it. She never liked being left alone, and she got antsy when he was away. When he returned from his jobs, (Y/N) was the first one to hug him and welcome him back. There wasn’t a day where she wasn’t hugging him, whether it be right before he left for a job or in the middle of the night. She was attached at the hip. Wherever Natsu went, (Y/N) soon followed. Being left behind all the time left her with an uneasiness around people, so she would try to get as much physical contact with those around her as possible. 

“(Y/N),” Natsu laughed, “I need to go get something from home.”

“You’ll be back?”

“In a few minutes. Promise.”

(Y/N) slowly let go of him, allowing him to wiggle free from her grasp and stand up from Team Natsu’s table. He ruffled her hair before repeating that he would be back soon. (Y/N) looked unconvinced, but said nothing. Natsu quickly left, leaving (Y/N) sitting at the table with her hands folded. Lucy joined her at the table and set down her drink. 

“So what’s up, (N/N)? Any interesting jobs lately?”

“I was babysitting a couple of kids in Tuly Village.”

“Where’s Natsu?”

“He’ll be back,” she echoed.

Lucy noticed that her answer seemed to be more of an affirmation to herself rather than an answer to the question. (Y/N) tightened her grip on her hands and pressed her lips in a line. Happy landed on the table and faced (Y/N).

“Where’s Natsu, (N/N)?”

“He’ll be--”

She felt a weight on her shoulders. Natsu smiled comfortingly down at her before taking his usual seat next to her once again. (Y/N) wasted no time in scooting closer to him and wrapping her arms around his torso. Natsu started to pick at Lucy’s plate from across the table, causing her to start yelling at him. He huffed and complained about how she never shared before turning to (Y/N)’s plate. She noticed his stares and tore one hand away from her steel grip on him to push her plate towards him. Natsu smiled wide and ate with his free hand.

“Hey (Y/N), did you wanna go on a job together?” Lucy questioned.

(Y/N) tilted her head up to Natsu, quietly asking, “Are you going?”

“If Lucy lets me,” he joked. 

The (H/C) haired wizard agreed and asked what it was. She got the details from her and came up with a loose plan to meet up by the train the next day at noon. They all spent the next couple hours hanging around. Everyone behaved as they usually did. Which means, of course, they didn’t, and a full brawl ensued. Natus was, as usual, in the middle of it, leaving (Y/N) to anxiously sit at the table as she waited for him. He ended up smacked into the floor, twitching as Laxus’s fist made contact with his back. (Y/N) was swiftly at his side and helped him off the floor. 

“Are you okay?”

“Don’t worry about me,” he assured before puffing out his chest. “There’s nothing I can’t take.”

Lightning sparked from behind him, and he was once again smacked into the floor. 

“How about that, dumbass?”

(Y/N) helped peel him off the floor again and grabbed his hand, tugging him back over to the peaceful part of the guildhall. She held his hand tightly under the table as they all talked with each other. Her nerves were calmed as she felt him rub circles on the back of her hand. Natsu leaned towards his side and quickly kissed her cheek before turning back to the conversation. (Y/N) smiled to herself and leaned into his side.

After a couple of hours, everyone started to leave the guildhall to go home. Natsu stood up and stretched before saying his goodbyes to the remaining members of the guild. (Y/N) quickly stood up as well and echoed his words. Happy floated beside them as the three of them made their way back to the house. (Y/N) slipped her jacket off and hung it up beside the door before hopping into the living room. 

“How’re you feeling today?” 

(Y/N) asked him what he was talking about, and Natsu started to step towards the bedroom. (Y/N) instinctively followed and hugged him from behind. The dragon slayer laid his hands on top of hers as they gripped his sides. 

“I’m being too clingy again, aren’t I?” She sadly asked.

Natsu stepped out of her hold when she let go. He spun around and laced their fingers. A small blush crept onto her face as Natsu kissed her forehead.

“I’ll always return to you,” was all he said before he tugged her closer and brought her in for a loose hug. 

(Y/N) laid her head on his chest, pressing her ear close to him to listen to his steady heartbeat. She took in his familiar scent and brought her arms up to hug him tighter.

Happy darted into the room and landed on (Y/N)’s head before repeating that he too would never leave her, causing quiet laughs to roll off their tongues. They spent a little while just sitting on the couch cuddled together before Natsu looked down to see that (Y/N) had fallen asleep. He carefully slid out of his spot before scooping her up and walking over towards the bed. He gently placed her down before pulling the covers over her. His stomach growled and he reasoned with himself that a “small snack” would surely not count as an extra meal. The fridge was raided, and a plate of food was assembled. He took a seat on the couch, watching Happy sleep soundly as he ate his snack. The food was quickly disappearing as Natsu continued to inhale it, and he ended up getting another “small snack.” After eating about half the plate, he heard a small scream from the bedroom.

“Crap.”

He rushed in and turned on the light lacrima, crouching down beside her and holding her hand.

“It’s okay,” he whispered. “You’re okay. I’m right here.”

She started crying, and Natsu stroked her hair as he tried to calm her down. He continued to soothe her until her cries turned to whimpers. 

“I’m here,” he whispered as he felt her hand grip his. “I was just in the other room.”

(Y/N)’s small sniffles filled the room, and Natsu stood up from his crouching position to sit on the edge of the bed. She was quick to shift her positioning so her head rested on his thigh, and his hand gently ran through her (H/C) hair. 

“I’m sorry,” she weakly apologized, regret filling her voice. “I don’t mean to--”

He leaned down and kissed her temple before leaning back on the bed, his back laying across the width of the bed. (Y/N) crawled out of the covers to fill the space right beside him, taking in the calming warmth that she felt when she was close to him. Natsu turned on his side and pulled her into him, and she twisted on her side as well to face him. The fire mage brought his hand up to her cheek and placed his forehead on hers, kissing her nose and rubbing her arm. 

“You didn’t leave?”

“I was hungry,” he jokingly answered. “I have a plate out there if you want some.”

“That’s okay,” she quietly responded. “I don’t think I’m hungry right now.”

“Did you want to come out with me or do you want me to bring the food in here?”

“I can come out.”

Natsu grinned and gave her a short kiss before rolling off the bed. She went to step off the bed as well when Natsu picked her up and threw her over his shoulder. She let out a little squeak in surprise and started to laugh. He brought her to the living room and set her on the couch before taking his plate from the table and bringing it back to his seat. (Y/N) pressed her face into the side of his arm as she watched him eat. 

“Want some?” He tested.

She shook her head at first, but Natsu could see that it was her nerves getting the better of her. He jokingly held the food out in front of her and wiggled it, causing a small giggle to escape. She eventually started to pick at the plate as they talked.

“Natsu, I’m sorry.”

“Why’re ya sorry? It can be scary being alone sometimes.”

“You’re always forced to be right by my side, and I--”

Natsu cut her off by pressing their lips together and holding her hands. 

“I’m here because I wanna be. I mean,” he motioned towards the contents of the house, “you wouldn’t be here if Happy or I didn’t want you here.”

She looked down and fiddled with her fingers. Natsu sighed, set down the food, and pulled her towards the middle of the room. He continued to pull her back into the bedroom and laid her down on the bed before letting go of her to slink under the covers, waving her in beside him. She was quick to join him, and she scooted so that they were close enough to feel each other breathe. 

“I love you.”

(Y/N) smiled brightly and hugged him tightly. 

“I love you too.”

“And I won’t leave. You’re stuck with me.”

She closed her eyes and synched her breathing with his, slipping into sleep once again. Natsu stayed up for a couple minutes to make sure he was okay, and he shifted so he could drape his arm across her and tuck her head under his. 

Natsu knew the pain of being left alone by those he loved. He understood the fear that she felt, and he promised her that he would never cause that feeling that she had known too well. Her heart would need time to heal, and he would be there for her. He didn’t care that she needed to be near him all the time. There was no reason why he would leave, and he wanted to make sure she knew that. Because he loved her. And he would never leave. 

“I’ll always return to you.”


	72. Dad!Natsu x Mom!Reader: Christmas

"Were you able to wrap everything? You know how she likes to snoop."

Natsu chuckled, "Don't worry. She's not finding a single one this year. They're all hidden above her eyesight."

Natsu flopped on the couch next to (Y/N) and wrapped an arm around her shoulder. (C/N) came running into the living room and stopped in front of her parents. She held up her hands in a childish way, and Natsu quickly picked her up and sat her on his lap.

"Daddy, you'll never guess what Uncle Elfman told me!"

"Oh? What was that?"

"He said that I could be a real man if I finished all my vegetables, and that Santa will bring me lots of presents!"

Natsu and (Y/N) looked at each other before smiling at their friend's antics.

"So does that mean you'll eat all your vegetables from now on?" (Y/N) questioned.

(C/N) nodded enthusiastically before she turned to Natsu and squished his cheeks, yelling, "Does that mean that Santa will bring me what I want? Will he bring me a kitty?"

Natsu held his daughter's tiny hands in his and smiled at her softly.

"You have to remember, sweetheart. A lot of kids ask for a whole bunch of presents, so you can't be upset if you don't get everything you want."

"What did you ask from Santa, mommy?"

(Y/N) overdramatically brought her hand under her chin and thought. She looked (C/N) in the eyes and said, "I asked Santa for all of us to have a very merry Christmas."

"And a happy new year?" Natsu joked.

They all laughed before (C/N) jumped off Natsu's lap and ran up to her room.

"Where is she going?" Natsu asked.

(Y/N) smiled knowingly as their daughter returned to the living room holding a small box.

"This is for you, daddy! Mommy and I got it for you!"

"Aren't I supposed to wait until tomorrow?"

"No way. The rules clearly state that you can open one present before Christmas," (C/N) argued.

"Go ahead and open it," (Y/N) soothed. "She looked everywhere for it."

Natsu smiled wide and took the box from his daughter before going to shake it.

"Daddy, no! You can't shake it."

Natsu stopped moving the box and started playing the question game with her.

"Is it a balloon?"

"No."

"Is it a baseball?"

"No, daddy. Baseballs aren't breakable."

"Is it a picture frame?"

"No," (C/N) giggled.

"Is it a...rocket?" Natsu asked as he faked excitement.

"Daddy, no! You have to open it to find out."

Natsu laughed before slowly unwrapping the box, revealing a small snow globe. Natsu shook it a couple times and watched the water twist. (C/N) stood proudly in front of him.

"Do you like it?"

Natsu set down the snow globe on the coffee table and scooped his daughter up.

"I love it."

"Now I get to open one!"

Both parents looked at each other before rolling their eyes. Natsu walked over to the tree where all the "parent bought presents" were and held out a big present. (C/N)'s face lit up and she ran over to the box.

"What is it? What is it?"

"You have to open it to find out," (Y/N) reminded as she laughed.

(C/N) turned to her father and did what he had done before.

"Is it a kitty?"

"No."

"Is it a puppy?"

"No. I don't think a puppy or kitty would be comfortable in a box like that."

(C/N) thought for a minute before continuing, "Is it a bike?"

"Hmm, I guess you should open it up and see."

Their daughter let out an excited squeal as she ripped at the wrapping paper. A yellow bike was revealed, causing (C/N) to cheer and jump around the living room.

"Can I ride it now? Please, daddy please!"

"It's snowing outside, (C/N)," (Y/N) pointed out.

Natsu whispered something in (Y/N)'s ear, and she looked at him in shock before sighing. Natsu's signature grin surfaced on his face as he turned back to his daughter.

"Mommy said that you could ride it down the hallway, but only if you're careful."

(C/N) started cheering much louder than before as Natsu set up the bike. She was allowed to play with her bike for a half hour and then Natsu told her that he would keep it safe in the garage until spring.

"Okay everyone!" (Y/N) said to gain their attention. "The tracker said that Santa is almost here, so I think we all better get to bed."

(C/N) gasped and ran over to the fridge.

"We have to put out the milk! Daddy, help me quickly before Santa comes!"

After the milk, cookies and carrots were placed on the coffee table (along with a note from an excited little girl), Natsu and (Y/N) brought their daughter into her room and tucked her in.

"Now remember, you have to be asleep or else Santa won't come."

(C/N) nodded seriously before holding onto her stuffed animal and forcing her eyes shut. Both parents kissed their daughter goodnight before slowly closing her door. They waited two hours to make sure that she was asleep before slowly creeping into the garage and lowering the presents from a high shelf.

"Damn Natsu. Forget about (C/N) reaching them. Even I can't reach them."

Natsu chuckled before defending that it made it the perfect hiding spot. They had eventually moved all the Santa presents under the tree, scattering them all around. They both stood in front of the tree proudly after finishing.

"Thank god," (Y/N) sighed. "I'm so exhausted."

"Tell me about it," Natsu agreed.

(Y/N) and Natsu looked down at the cookies and carrots before looking at each other. Natsu held out his hand.

"Loser eats the carrots?"

"Oh it's on."

Natsu had lost in rock, paper, scissors, making him responsible for eating the carrots. (Y/N) looked at him smugly as she enjoyed the homemade cookies. Natsu rolled his eyes as he finished the carrots, and they both sat on the couch half-asleep, listening to each other breathe. (Y/N)'s head slowly made its way to Natsu's shoulder. He looked over at her to see that she was almost asleep, so he gently picked her up and walked to their room before setting her down on the bed. She stirred and cracked her eyes open to see that Natsu was sitting at the edge of the bed taking off his clothes.

"Natsu?"

Natsu jumped slightly at her voice, thinking that she was asleep. He quickly recovered and looked over at her with loving eyes, asking her to continue.

"We walked under some mistletoe on our way up here."

He laughed lightly before leaning over her and giving her a soft kiss on her nose. (Y/N) giggled before her breathing slowed again.

\---------

"Daddy look at all the presents!" (C/N) screamed as she looked around the living room to see presents everywhere.

Natsu and (Y/N) sat on the couch as their daughter jumped from box to box trying to sense what was inside.

"I'm starting to think she likes you better than me," (Y/N) joked.

"What can I say?" Natsu beamed. "I'm just that cool."

(Y/N) rolled her eyes before leaning close to him and whispering in his ear, "Did you remember to--"

"Already done. I suggest that be the first one."

(Y/N) nodded before catching (C/N)'s attention and leading her to a big box.

"Santa wanted you to open this one first."

(C/N) nodded excitedly as she ripped at the paper and opened the box, revealing a small cat. She squealed in happiness as she lifted the kitten out of the box and turned around to show her parents.

"Wow," Natsu mused, "looks like Santa thinks you're responsible enough to take care of a cat."

"What's the kitty's name?!"

"I think he's wearing a nametag if I see it correctly," (Y/N) prompted.

(C/N) looked around the cat's collar to see the nametag, stating that the cat's name was Happy.

"That's funny," (C/N) laughed, "because I'm happy that I got to meet Happy."

(Y/N) laughed and looked at Natsu who had a smug "see?" look on his face. The rest of the presents seemed to fly open, and (C/N) eventually fell asleep on the floor.

"Looks like all the excitement got to her," (Y/N) playfully remarked.

Natsu stood in front of (Y/N) and caressed her cheek. (Y/N) looked up at him with a soft smile. He grinned at her before motioning her to look up, showing that there was mistletoe above them.

"You're telling me you got mistletoed twice in the span of ten hours, Dragneel? Talk about bad luck."

Natsu laughed before he brought her in for a loving kiss. He hugged her and placed his head by her neck.

"Merry Christmas, Natsu."

"Merry Christmas, love."


	73. Psychopath!Natsu x Reader: Monday [requested]

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger warning: violence

It was a cold night, and (Y/N) had to wrap herself in multiple blankets to fight the chill in her apartment. Three blankets weren’t enough, and she had already activated her heating lacrima, so there was little left that she could do. The tips of her fingers stung, and she couldn’t feel her feet. Her figure scooted across the floor and to the day’s newspaper. She flipped through the pages, but the front page of the newspapers was the same as it was for the past five weeks. A killer was on the loose, and every Monday a new body was found burned alive. They didn’t know a lot about the killer, but they posed the theory that the killer was most likely a fire wizard.

“Good thing I’m not out tonight,” she mumbled, looking at the ‘Monday’ slot on her calendar. “I hope everyone is alright tonight.”

\-------

It was Tuesday, and (Y/N) had run out of food for the week, so she grabbed her jacket and headed out towards the market. She looked around at the different meats and produce and grabbed what she thought she needed for the week. After it was all bagged up, she juggled the bags until she reached her door. They were dropped on the counters, and she quickly put them away. All of the food was unpacked, and it was then that she realized the missing fish. 

“Shoot.”

She checked the time, debating if she had time to run back and get some. After she deemed that she would still be able to make it to Makarov’s meeting, she threw her jacket back on and shut her door. Her body slid between the crowds and ended up at the edge of the market. She spotted the fish and bought a couple before turning around to head back home. When she turned, she was knocked into, the sack of fish falling open. An arm reached out to catch her from hitting the ground, and when she looked up she was greeted by a concerned looking boy with pink hair.

“Sorry ‘bout that,” he apologized. “Didn’t see you there.”

“That’s okay,” she quietly dismissed, looking down to the scattered fish and sighing.

(Y/N) waved him off before walking back over to the fish stand. She felt a presence beside her, and when she looked, the same boy stood beside her.

“I feel bad about ruining your dinner like that. Let me make it up to you.”

“Oh no, that’s quite alright. You don’t need to.”

The boy didn’t listen, and he looked over to the fish on the ground, quickly counting and paying for the same number at the stand. The bag of fish was placed in her hands, and she received a welcoming smile from him. 

“What’s your name?”

She smiled, introducing herself and echoing his question.

“Natsu.”

“Well it’s nice to meet you, Natsu. Maybe we’ll see each other again in a more enjoyable circumstance,” she joked before walking away.

“Oh yes,” he mumbled, smirking. “We will.”

\-------

Wednesday came around, and (Y/N) was woken up by the screaming of one of the birds outside her bedroom window. She groaned and whipped the curtains back to glare at the bird, giving it a ‘shoo’ gesture and spinning around to dress for the day. 

Yesterday, Natsu had discretely followed her back to her apartment building. Now that he knew where she lived, he stood across the street from her building and watched her from the window. When she turned to go back towards her bed, he slipped around the corner of the building he was leaning on so that he would be out of sight. 

(Y/N) yawned and stretched her legs before walking over towards the front door and exiting the building. On her way to the guildhall, (Y/N) hummed a little song to herself and watched the surrounding townspeople as they mingled with each other. 

Natsu followed a distance behind her, his hands clasped at the back of his head. As a means to try to look nonchalant and not suspicious, he would stop every so often to wave at the townspeople. Once he saw that she had stopped moving, he raised an eyebrow.

“Wizard? Wouldn’t have guessed that.”

His smirk grew.

“It makes it more enjoyable.”

\-------

(Y/N) had wished everyone well before exiting the guildhall. She slowly walked down the road, occasionally stopping to speak with the townspeople. A smile formed on her face when she was approached by a couple kids, unaware of the pink-haired boy that was watching from a couple buildings in front of her. 

Turning away from the children caused her to get bumped to the ground again. Her hands darted out behind her to stop herself from landing directly on her back. She looked up and saw the familiar black eyes. 

“Sorry about that,” Natsu apologized, rubbing the back of his head. “We gotta stop meeting like this, eh?”

(Y/N) laughed quietly and held out her hand for Natsu to pull her up, and he quickly did so. She patted herself off and smiled brightly at the pink haired boy. 

“It’s not a problem. A little fall won’t hurt.”

“I sure hope not. That would be unfortunate if you got hurt.”

“So what brings you out here?”

“Oh,” Natsu quickly lied, “I was just finding my way over towards the Magnolia Bakery. I seem to have gotten lost though.”

“That’s my favorite bakery! I can take you to it.”

She walked a little in front of him and waved him on. Natsu’s devilish grin was unseen by the passing townspeople.

“Wonderful.”

They arrived at the bakery, and (Y/N) led him inside. She walked over to the counter and ordered a cookie before walking over to a table in the far corner. Natsu perused the different desserts before quickly looking back over to see what (Y/N) had gotten. Deciding tactically, he had ordered the same thing, walking over to her table and putting on a nervous facade. 

“Uh, you think I could sit with you? To save space, of course.”

(Y/N) giggled and waved him into the booth. She took one look at the cookie in his hands and beamed, holding up her cookie.

“Looks like you have great taste, Natsu.”

“It’s my favorite,” he revealed to her.

His lie went undetected by the (H/C) haired wizard, and she started talking about how good the cookies were. Natsu placed his head in his hand, propping it up on his elbow as he looked at her.

“So what do you typically do when you’re not getting slammed to the ground?” Natsu playfully questioned. 

(Y/N) rolled her eyes, but her smile was still present. 

“I’m a wizard of the Fairy Tail guild, so I usually go on requests all the time. This week is my week off, so I’m just enjoying being around Magnolia.”

“A week off, eh? When do you go back?”

“Tuesday.”

Natsu hid his smirk with a small smile. Fully well knowing the answer to his question, Natsu casually asked her if she lived in town. She gave a vague answer, saying that she lived in an apartment by the river. 

“What kinda wizard are you? You must be strong to be in Fairy Tail.”

“Oh, I’m not all that strong,” she shyly responded. “I use wind magic though.”

“That’s a cool magic you have there,” he mused. “You could really do some damage.”

(Y/N) smiled and thanked him for the compliment before standing up. She went to say goodbye when Natsu got an idea.

“It’s getting pretty dark out. Did you want me to walk you home?”

“Oh, um, you don’t have to do that.”

“Isn’t that killer roaming the streets or something?” He played. “I would hate to see you get hurt after I just got to meet you.”

“I mean, are you sure you don’t mind?”

“Not at all. Not at all.”

\-------

Thursday. (Y/N) decided to spend the day in the park, so she grabbed a couple snacks and packed them in a bag before hopping down the stairs and into the roads. Once she found a good spot, she set down the bag and sat against a tree trunk. She took in the different sounds around her, which is when she heard a twig snap. Her eyes flew open when a small cough sounded from in front of her.

“This seat taken?” Natsu joked.

“You scared the shit out of me,” she muttered. 

Natsu chuckled and joined her on the grass, stretching his legs out in front of him. 

“Nice day,” Natsu started, “but a bit chilly.”

“You can say that again,” she commented. “I’ve been freezing this entire week.”

Natsu wiggled his eyebrows and gently took one of her hands, trying, “Well I’m usually nice and warm, and I’m always open for hugs.”

“You’re very weird, Natsu.”

“You have no idea.”

She looked like she was debating something, so Natsu dramatically opened his arms. After a few more moments of silence, she shrugged and scooted closer to him. 

“Don’t tell my friends,” she sternly stated. “They’d kill me for being so trusting to a stranger.”

“Stranger? But we’ve met so many times,” Natsu feigned playful offense. “We even had a cookie day.”

(Y/N) giggled quietly and reached into her bag to pull out a sandwich. Natsu’s nose twitched, and he looked over her shoulder to see the bag of food. He overdramatically cleared his throat, prompting (Y/N) to let out a small ‘oh’ before asking him if he wanted anything. He gratefully took a sandwich and ate it with his free hand as he held (Y/N) to him with his other arm.

“Picnics are fun,” Natsu observed. “I should do this more often.”

\-------

It was Friday, and (Y/N) left her apartment late to grab some last minute ingredients for her dinner. She rounded the corner towards the market, and she was slammed into the brick wall behind her. Her hands went to try to pry whoever it was off her, but they grabbed her throat and pinned her against the wall. Her hands shoved into the attacker’s stomach, and he went flying when a gust of wind hit him dead on. (Y/N) fought for breath, holding her throat as she tried to recover. From the corner of her eye, she saw a glint of what seemed to be a sword. A small gasp left her mouth and she quickly took a fighting stance, ready to aim another spell at the attacker. He rushed towards her and knocked her off her feet when she tried to dodge, knocking her towards the ground. Just before the attacker could reach her, a stream of fire came out of nowhere and hit the attacker, sending him flying back. 

“Jeez. Hasn’t anyone ever taught you manners? You don’t go after someone with a sword. People could get hurt.”

“Natsu?”

Said wizard looked over his shoulder and gave a small wave. 

“Now,” Natsu firmly stated, “let me show you how to really hurt someone.”

His fists were engulfed with flames, and the attacker tried to use his sword to defend himself, but Natsu’s fire completely melted the sword once he touched it. Natsu opened his mouth, a powerful stream of fire whipping around the attacker before he fled.

“Woah,” (Y/N) breathed, “that’s so cool. I didn’t know you were a wizard too.”

“Oops. I guess I forgot to mention it or something,” he quickly played off. “Now what were you doing out here alone so late? It’s dangerous out here.”

“What were you doing out here?” She threw back.

“Touché,” he laughed. “But good thing I was.”

“Thank you so much, Natsu. Please let me repay you.”

“It’s fine. Wouldn’t want my new dessert buddy getting hurt now, yeah?”

“I’m making a big dinner tomorrow night. Why don’t you come then? I really want to thank you.”

Natsu placed his hand on his chin, making it seem like he was thinking, though his mind was made up the moment she spoke. 

“I guess I could. I mean, if it’s not too much trouble.”

(Y/N) smiled wide and gave him a small hug before waving him off and returning home.

“This is going a lot easier than I thought it would for a wizard,” Natsu quietly spoke, his maniacal laugh fighting its way through his body. 

\-------

Saturday came around, and Natsu made his way to the market to pick up a quick snack to bring to dinner, reasoning that it would go over well and make him look like he had a lot of manners, which, in his experience, worked very well in getting others to trust him. Not like he needed it at that point. The attack was unplanned, but worked in his favor, and (Y/N) trusted him exponentially more than the day prior. 

“Thank you, sword dude. You’ve made my life easier.”

Natsu knocked on the front door and waited for (Y/N) to answer. He stood holding the small bag of cookies in his hand, and he heard shuffling coming from inside before the door opened. 

“Natsu!” She happily greeted him. “Right on time. The food is almost done cooking, so please make yourself at home.”

The pink haired wizard set down the cookies on the counter and plopped on the couch as he watched her check the food occasionally. She turned around to face him and started asking him about his day. Natsu casually lied, saying that he had been in an inn for basically the whole day when in reality he had been following her around the town. 

“Do you not live here?”

“No,” he lied again. “I live over by Hargeon. Not too far. I’m here for my own week off. So I guess we’re vacation buddies as well.”

(Y/N) laughed and turned back to the kitchen when she heard the ‘ding’ of the oven. She took out the dish from the over, revealing fish with gravy. They both sat at the table and started eating, making light conversation. Natsu looked over towards the living room again and saw that there was a pile of blankets sitting on the floor. 

“I guess you weren’t lying when you said you were cold.”

A small blush appeared on her face as she explained that she was always cold. (Y/N) suggested (and begged, though she didn’t have to, in means of thanking him) that they should watch a movie on the movie lacrima. Natsu raised an eyebrow, but agreed nonetheless. (Y/N) led him over to the couch and turned the lacrima on, sitting next to the fire wizard. During the movie, (Y/N) had subconsciously drifted closer to Natsu, and she was soon cuddled into his side. Natsu looked down and smirked. He quickly covered it up when he saw she was looking up at him.

“You’re warm.”

“Probably because of the fire,” Natsu teased. “Didn’t pin you as a cuddler.”

It was then that she realized the position that they were in, and her face flushed as she went to pull away. Natsu caught her, swinging his arm around her shoulder and holding her in place. 

“Didn’t say I didn’t like it,” he continued, playing along.

After studying his face and seeing that he was being genuine, she hesitantly leaned back into him and turned back to the movie. She fell asleep about an hour later, leaving Natsu to stare at her while she slept. He leered, his head going through the possibilities of the next few days.

(Y/N) stirred, and Natsu looked away, leaning his head over the back of the couch to make it look like he was sleeping. The (E/C) eyed girl looked around, her eyes landing on the wizard that seemed to be asleep. She poked his cheek, causing him to “stir” and “wake up.”

“It’s getting late,” she brought up.

Natsu looked around, pretending to just now notice the darkness. 

“Guess that’s my cue,” he teased. “I’ll see you around.”

“Thank you again, Natsu.”

“Don’t even worry about it. I’d hate to see you get hurt by someone.”

He softly closed her door and walked a short ways into the streets.

“Someone other than me, that is.”

\-------

“Is it really Sunday already? I don’t want my vacation to end,” (Y/N) whined. “Though I did promise Wendy that I would go on that whale request with her on Tuesday.”

She hopped out of bed and waddled over to the kitchen to grab something to eat, deciding on a light breakfast. After eating, she grabbed her coat and entered the streets of Magnolia. An hour passed, and she was still wandering the streets, deciding to just walk around for a while. She looked over towards a diner and saw Natsu sitting by the table in the window eating. Her eyes lit up, and she went over to say hello.

Natsu patted his stomach, saying that he was full. Seconds later he turned back to his food and continued eating. He looked up when he saw movement from the window and saw (Y/N) making her way over to him.

“No way,” he laughed. “I didn’t even have to do anything this time. This is perfect.”

He gave a small wave as she approached the window, and she pointed to the empty seat across from him, silently asking if she could join him. Natsu nodded her inside, and she quickly sat down in the booth. 

“I guess it’s me running into you this time,” (Y/N) joked. 

“Guess so,” Natsu fake-laughed. “Are you ordering something?”

“Probably just something small. I already ate.”

They spoke for a while, sharing their plans for the day. Once they finished eating, Natsu left money on the table and went to get up.

“Oh I can’t let you pay for me. I mean--”

“Don’t even worry about it. You kept me company on this otherwise boring and lonely morning.”

“Are you sure?”

Natsu gave a close-eyed smile and a thumbs up. He waved her to his side as he went to walk away. She led him back over to the park.

“Your picnic got me thinking about the park here. It’s beautiful.”

“That’s South Gate Park for you,” she commented. “It’s really pretty in the spring. You should see the tree. It changes colors during the festival.”

Natsu continued towards the center of the park, leading her to a large tree. They sat down against the trunk, and Natsu had shifted so that (Y/N) could lean into him. She would point out the different areas of the park, giving a brief summary (all of which he already knew of) for each area. A couple moments of silence followed, and Natsu decided to put his plan into action.

“So, uh,” he pretended to stammer, “I know that we just met within the week, but I was wondering if you would maybe wanna go grab something to eat one day? I mean, in a more formal way then us just bumping into each other.”

(Y/N) leaned away from him to look at him more clearly. She smiled and nodded. 

“How about tomorrow?” Natsu pushed.

“Oh, uh, tomorrow is Monday, right?” She hesitantly asked.

“Oh man,” he fake cursed, “I completely forgot about that guy.”

“Maybe another day?”

“Well you see, I kinda leave for a long request starting Tuesday afternoon. I won’t be back for a while. I completely understand if you don’t feel comfortable doing it though.”

“I mean, I guess I could if we went a bit earlier so we’re home before dark. I think that’d work. What do you think?”

“Perfect. And I promise, I won’t let anyone else get near you. I’ll just kick their asses like last time.”

(Y/N) giggled and leaned up to kiss his cheek. Natsu seemed to get an idea, and he slowly leaned down to kiss her. (Y/N) was taken back from the action, but she didn’t fight it at all. 

“I hope you didn’t have a rule about kissing before a certain number of dates,” Natsu jested. 

“That’s okay,” she spoke, smiling. “I think I can ignore that rule for now.”

\-------

(Y/N) looked into the mirror and played with the bottom hem of her clothing. She checked herself over once more before pacing in her room. 

“Okay (Y/N), calm down. You already know this guy.”

She looked out the window and took in the empty streets. After taking in a deep breath, she went over to the door to open it for Natsu as he stood there. He greeted the (H/C) haired girl with a smile and handed her a small group of flowers.

“I, uh, didn’t know what kind of flowers you liked, so I went with these.”

“Thank you. They’re beautiful.”

Natsu gently took her hand and led her down the stairs and into the streets. He brought her to the bakery and sat them down at the table they used last time before walking over to the counter and ordering two desserts. He brought over a choice that he had watched her try the other day, setting it down on the table. 

“I know it’s not your favorite cookie,” he started, already knowing that she liked this dessert as well, “but I figured I would show you my other favorite instead of going with the usual.”

“Hey, I love this one too!” She happily answered. “I guess we have a lot in common.”

“Seems so.”

They ate and left after keeping up light banter. Natsu headed towards the park, (Y/N) readily following. They arrived at the same tree they sat at last time.

“Every couple needs a signature spot,” Natsu explained. “I figured this would be the beginning spot.”

(Y/N) giggled and sat down, pulling him down to her. They talked for a little bit before Natsu felt a weight on his shoulder. Looking down, he saw that she had fallen asleep. He sat there until it started to get dark, and then he scooped her up and started walking towards the center of town. He turned into an alley when her eyes cracked open. She took in the lack of light and quickly looked around, her panicked eyes landing on Natsu. 

“You okay? You look like you saw a ghost.”

“Sorry. I guess I’m a little jumpy being out here so late.”

“You were asleep for a pretty long time,” he added. “I would hate to see someone hurting you.”

“Thank you for watching over--”

“Someone other than me, or course.”

“Huh?”

“You know,” he started, an evil smirk present, open for her to see for the first time, “some people are very weary of strange men appearing out of nowhere, but you didn’t seem to be.”

“What’s going on?” She demanded, fear starting to etch into her voice.

Natsu’s smirk didn’t leave, and his hands burst with flames. (Y/N) gasped, finally putting together the pieces, and went to bolt out of the alley when a wall of fire blocked both ends. She backed up from the exit, the fire grazing her hand and burning the sleeve of her coat. Her gaze hardened, and she tried to cast a spell at the wall, but her wind only created holes for a second before the fire took over again. 

“Why me?” She pushed.

“Simple: I happened upon you at the market, and if you haven’t noticed by the series of victims, you’re my type.”

“Fuck you.”

“Swearing at me won’t keep you alive,” Natsu tsked.

“You’re gonna get caught.”

“Hm. Let’s see, how many victims have shown up? Six?”

“Five. What, can you not remember who you killed?”

“Oh I do. That just means you all never found the sixth yet.”

“Why do you do this?”

“Because it’s fun.”

“You have no sane reason for any of this?”

“Didn’t you hear me?” Natsu drawled. “I just said it was fun.”

(Y/N) took another look behind her, noticing the wall of fire was inching closer to her. She was forced to step closer to him in order to avoid the fire hitting her. Natsu playfully held out his arms, referencing the hugs that she had given him before.

“What the hell is wrong with you?” (Y/N) barked. 

“Haven’t you realized by now? I’m clearly a psychopath. I mean,” he droned as he stepped closer to her, “didn’t you find it a little strange that we had so much in common from the beginning?”

“You stalked me,” she guessed.

“Of course I did. I knew your movements from the first night. By the way,” he cockily suggested, “you should really close your curtains at night.”

(Y/N) tried to cast a spell again, but she was quickly held, her hands held behind her back as she was forced to the ground. 

“Why did you save me if you were just gonna kill me?” She coughed, the smoke getting to her.

“Well I couldn’t have anyone else harm you,” he answered before leaning into her ear and whispering, “You’re mine.”

She struggled under his grip, but he had a steel hold on her.

“Now be good and scream, yeah?”

The wall of fire came closer and (Y/N) continued to squirm in hopes of escape. Her foot caught fire, and she went to scream out in pain, but her mouth was swiftly covered by one of Natsu’s hands. The fire continued to move up her legs. Once she was unable to stand, Natsu let go of her and stood up, looking on with amusement glinting in his eyes as he watched her meet the same fate as the others.


	74. Psychopath!Natsu x Reader: Monaday (Alterate Ending) [requested]

_“Every couple needs a signature spot,” Natsu explained. “I figured this would be the beginning spot.”_

_(Y/N) giggled and sat down, pulling him down to her. They talked for a little bit before Natsu felt a weight on his shoulder. Looking down, he saw that she had fallen asleep. He sat there until it started to get dark, and then he scooped her up and started walking towards the center of town. He turned into an alley when her eyes cracked open. She took in the lack of light and quickly looked around, her panicked eyes landing on Natsu._

_“You okay? You look like you saw a ghost.”_

_“Sorry. I guess I’m a little jumpy being out here so late.”_

_“You were asleep for a pretty long time,” he added. “I would hate to see someone hurting you.”_

_“Thank you for watching over--”_

_“Someone other than me, or course.”_

_“Huh?”_

_“You know,” he started, an evil smirk present, open for her to see for the first time, “some people are very weary of strange men appearing out of nowhere, but you didn’t seem to be.”_

_“What’s going on?” She demanded, fear starting to etch into her voice._

It was then that she realized that she was in an unfamiliar location, and that she was being held tightly in the fire wizard’s arms. 

“Where are we?” She loudly asked, starting to squirm.

“Easy, (Y/N). You’re nice and safe with me.”

“Let me down.”

“But we didn’t finish our date yet.”

And with that, Natsu had let the smoke from his fire invade her lungs, and she passed out.

\-------

(Y/N) looked around, taking in yet another unfamiliar surrounding. She looked down and saw that she was sitting on a bed, tucked in under the covers. There was a glass of water and a small meal on the bedside table. She quickly jumped out of the bed, starting to study the room she was in. It was plain, but nice. There was a small window, which (Y/N) immediately rushed to. It was clear to her once she got close enough that it was wired and locked. Her eyes landed on the closed door, and her feet slowly took her over to twist the knob. To her surprise, the door was not locked. 

She crept out of the room, looking both ways before inching down what seemed to be a long hallway to the front door. Right as she was opening the door, a pink headed figure slammed his hand on the door. 

“Where’re ya going, (Y/N)?”

“Why am I here?” She snapped. “Why didn’t you just kill me like the others? There were no reports of you kidnapping any of them.”

“Because I don’t want you to die,” he simply stated. “You’re too precious to me.”

“What the hell are you talking about?”

“You see,” Natsu started as he grabbed her arm and pulled her deeper into the house, “over the week, I’ve grown quite fond of you, so it would be a shame to just kill you. Instead, I brought you here so we can be together all the time. Isn’t that better?”

“Fuck you. Let me go.”

Natsu’s hand let go of her arm and slipped down to her hand, holding it and lacing his fingers in with hers. (Y/N) went to pull away when she was yanked towards him. She had no choice but to reach her other arm out to stop herself from falling too close to him, but it didn’t work. His other arm snaked around her and put pressure on her back as he pulled her closer to him. 

“See? Isn’t this nice?”

“No.”

“Don’t worry. You’ll warm up to this soon.”

“No I won’t. Now _let me go_.”

Natsu smirked and continued to tug her down the original hallway and back into the room she woke up in.

“This is your room for now. I even gave you a window with a nice view. Don’t worry though. They can’t see you from the other side, so you don’t have to worry about closing the curtains when you change. I know how that was difficult for you before.”

“You fucking stalked me?” She screamed. 

Natsu tilted his head and innocently asked, “Well how else do you expect me to find out things about you?”

“You fucking ask, you asshole!”

Natsu’s devilish smile appeared with his response, “But that wouldn’t be fun.”

“Listen, I don’t know what you want,” she pleaded, “but if you let me go then i’ll give you whatever you need.”

“But what I need is for you to stay with me.”

“I’m not staying here!” (Y/N) bit.

Natsu guided her into the middle of the room before he let go of her and retreated towards the door.

As he was closing the door, he said, “You’ll see. You’ll come around.”

With that, (Y/N) heard the distinct locking sound of the door.

\-------

“Are you hungry at all? I can bring you more food.”

“I don’t want your fucking food.”

Natsu opened the door and stood with his arms crossed in the archway. (Y/N) stood up from the bed and glared at him. His eyes drifted over to the original plate of food he had set for her and saw that all the food was still there. However, he noticed that the water was half gone. Getting an idea, he walked over to the food and picked it up, taking the glass with him.

“Well then I’ll leave you to it. Let me know if you need anything.”

And then the door was locked once more.

\-------

(Y/N) sat on the edge of the bed with her hands clasped together. She went through multiple plans in her head over and over, but none of them seemed to work out in her favor. The water was gone now, and she would be lying if she said that she wasn’t thirsty. She waited for what seemed like hours before she couldn’t take it anymore. After cursing herself for her next actions, she walked over to the locked door and knocked on it. Feet were heard stepping down the hall, and the door slowly opened to reveal black eyes looking at her.

“You called?”

“I’m thirsty.” 

Natsu’s eyes lit up, and he shut the door for a few minutes before returning with a glass of water. (Y/N) reluctantly took it, sniffed it for poisons, and took a couple small sips.

“Did you wanna watch a movie? I know you like movies.”

“Don’t think for one second that I’m giving into this, got it?” She explained, force in her voice. “I only asked you for water, which is a basic human need.”

“Are you hungry?”

“No, I’m not h--”

A low growl in her stomach betrayed her, and she had to look away to regain her composure.

“There’s fish and chicken in the kitchen. You can come out if you want.”

(Y/N) took a long look at Natsu’s face, probing for any sign of malice. To her surprise, there was only sincerity. She slowly followed him into the kitchen where her eyes landed on the grouping of knives that sat on one of the corner counters. Her eyes darted between Natsu and the knives before she tried to discreetly make her way over to them. 

“I wouldn’t bother,” Natsu’s voice suddenly spoke. “I’ll just melt them, and then we wouldn’t have anything to cook with. It’d be a shame.”

(Y/N) huffed and continued to follow him to the fridge. Natsu opened the fridge, revealing the abundance of food that was stored. Snacks, drinks, meat, fruits and vegetables were stacked inside. 

“Woah,” she breathed, momentarily forgetting her situation. “I’ve never seen this much food in one place.”

“I stocked up for this very moment. I know how you like these things.”

She took out a small grouping of food and started to cook, feeling Natsu’s eyes on her the entire time. Once she was finished, she was led into what seemed to be the living room. There was a couch and a chair that sat facing a small fireplace. Natsu sat down on the chair, leaving (Y/N) to take the couch. She began eating, her eyes watching Natsu’s movements in case. He suddenly got up and sat beside her, making her stiffen as he brushed her (H/C) hair away from her. She stared straight ahead as she felt him whisper in her ear.

“You’re all mine now. Isn’t that great?”

Her eyes narrowed and she scoffed, standing off the couch and walking down the hall and into the bedroom before shutting the door. Natsu chuckled at her action and smiled.

“You’ll come around. I know you will.”

\-------

It had been a month, and Natsu had given her a proper tour of the house. He made sure to warn her of the wires and traps that he had put up on the windows and doors, and he told her to not go near them or else she might get hurt. She would be locked in her room when he needed to leave, and (Y/N) was starting to lose hope of escaping. At least he wasn’t torturing her, she reasoned. Although, she also concluded that this whole situation could be considered another type of torture. Her ears perked up at the sound of the front door unlocking and she quickly stood up from the bed and knocked on the door. She heard shuffling and a couple moments later the door opened. She looked towards the calendar and saw that it was Monday.

“I’m back. I made sure to get you a book so you can read while I’m away. Isn’t that nice?”

He let her out of the room and waved her in the kitchen to show her the new ingredients he picked up as well. He then made his way into the living room and flopped on the couch. 

“Man, today was tiring. Wanna watch a movie?”

“No,” she barked. “I do not want to watch a movie with you.”

“Suit yourself. I’m putting one on, so you can go to your room now.”

“Wait.”

“What?”

“If I watch a movie then I can stay out of my room for longer?”

“Well yeah. You can’t watch a movie if you’re all locked up like that.”

(Y/N) thought for a moment and sighed before slowly walking over to the couch and sitting on it with her hands folded in her lap. Natsu leaned back on the couch and activated the movie lacrima, starting the movie and shutting off the lights. (Y/N) sat up straight, not really paying attention to the movie, but enjoying the time out of her room. Something made her jump, and she looked towards the lacrima to see that it was actually a horror movie. Her eyes widened as she saw a couple get brutally murdered and left for someone to find. 

“I don’t like this movie,” she quickly spoke, the reality of her situation sinking in. “I think I’ll go to my room now.”

She went to stand up, but Natsu stopped her by holding her by the fabric of her clothes.

“We can watch another one. There’s one with a killer clown and another about a resurrected cat and little girl.” 

“No no no! I don’t want to watch these stupid horror movies! How could you possibly think that I would enjoy them given my fucking situation?”

Natsu’s lips pressed into a thin line before he turned the movie off and stood up to meet her in the middle of the room. He led her back to her room and walked her over to the bed, sitting her down and giving her some water. He gently stroked her hair and gave a small smile.

“Don’t touch me.”

Natsu had locked her up for the night a couple hours later, and the house was silent once he retreated into his own room. (Y/N) had fallen asleep, but she kept waking up from bad dreams that included her suffering the same fate as Natsu’s other victims. She gripped the blankets and tried to steady her breathing, but it wasn’t working. Tears started to drip down her face, and her whole body started shaking as she gasped for breath. She ended up banging on the door, and Natsu came running to answer it.

Once the door was open, the (E/C) eyed girl quickly ran past the killer and darted into the bathroom. Natsu eventually joined her to see that she had thrown up in the toilet.

“What’s wrong?” Came Natsu’s concerned voice. “Did you eat something bad?”

“No! It’s because I’m stuck here with Magnolia’s most wanted serial killer and I can’t get out!”

Natsu walked over to the toilet where (Y/N) was kneeling and flushed it. He picked her off the floor and scooped her up, causing her to squirm and flail in an attempt to escape his grasp. He just held her more tightly and walked over towards his bedroom. She was set on the bed and left in the room while he went to get more water. 

(Y/N) looked around at the unfamiliar room, her eyes landing on the open door. She scanned the room quickly. Big bed, long rug, two dressers and bedside tables, a couple lighting lacrima and a window with traps. Natsu returned a couple minutes later and handed her the glass of water.

“Where am I?”

“My room. You’ll stay here tonight.”

“And what would make you think that I would ever want to stay in here?”

“I’ve learned that the need for comfort seems to override other human instincts.”

(Y/N) went to leave the room when she heard a loud bang, causing her to noticeably flinch and whip her head around to face Natsu. The pink haired boy simply shrugged and got into bed, patting the spot next to him. She went to leave again, but her legs swiftly took her to the other side of the bed. She scooted as far away from him as possible and made a barrier of blankets in between them, but she did manage to fall asleep rather quickly. 

\-------

Natsu had run out to go for ‘errands,’ so (Y/N) was left in her room until he returned. The front door opened, and her bedroom door was unlocked, opening up to reveal a smiling Natsu. 

“I say we watch a movie tonight.”

“I don’t like your movies.”

Natsu flashed the cover of a movie to her, showing that it was a more lighthearted movie, saying that they could use the movie lacrima again. (Y/N) looked at him suspiciously, but followed him to the living room anyway. The movie started playing, and Natsu set (Y/N) down in the seat next to him. The movie was, shockingly, enjoyable for her, and she didn’t even notice that she had subconsciously drifted closer to the killer. Natsu looked down and smiled when he saw that she was close enough so their shoulders could brush. His arm carefully winded around her, and that is when she had realized what she was doing. She tried to move away, but his arm wouldn’t let her.

“It’s okay. I won’t hurt you. I promise.”

“Why are you doing this?”

“Because the other movies scared you, and I just wanted to watch a movie with you.”

“Not the movie. Why am I even here? Just kill me already instead of dragging it out.”

“I can’t kill you. I love you.”

“Oh please,” she scoffed. 

“It’s true.”

(Y/N) shook her head and started to walk off when a wall of fire erupted in front of her bedroom door, causing her to squeak and jump back. Natsu stood with his arms crossed at the end of the hallway.

“What do you think you’re doing?” (Y/N) asked.

“You’re not allowed to sleep in there anymore. You’ll sleep in my room.”

“I don’t want--”

“My room doesn’t get my door locked at night, so you’d be able to roam around the house at night to eat or go to the bathroom whenever you want. It beats staying in a small room.”

(Y/N) eventually backed away from her door to travel further down the hall to Natsu’s bedroom. She shut the door behind her and crawled into bed, laying on the far side of the mattress to the point where she was almost hanging off it. She heard Natsu come in a little while later, the soft clink of the glass hitting the bedside table and the crinkling of the bedcovers when a weight caused the bed to dip. She huffed when she felt his hand on her shoulder.

“Let go of me.”

Natsu twisted her around and pulled her further towards the middle of the bed before facing her and scooting closer to her. His hand found its way into her hair as he gently stroked it. Her eyes started to close, the touch soothing her. But her eyes forced open as she took in her reality again. 

“I believe that you’ll love me like I love you. I’m patient.”

She didn’t have enough energy to fight him off again, so she just chose to ignore him and shut her eyes to sleep. The next day, (Y/N) woke up to Natsu still being asleep, and it was then that she looked at their positioning. In the night, (Y/N) had somehow tucked her head under Natsu’s, and her hands were gripping the back of his shirt while his arm laid protectively around her waist. She swore under her breath and tried to squirm free, but his hold was one of steel. 

Her (E/C) eyes slipped to his face, and she took in the calm features that appeared in his sleeping state. His forehead was completely relaxed, and his eyes were peacefully shut. (Y/N) continued to look at him until his eyes fluttered open. She quickly looked down and regained her hard exterior.

“Sleep well?”

“As good as I could given the circumstances,” she muttered. 

Natsu rolled out of bed and pulled the covers off her, playfully grabbing her ankle and dragging her to the edge of the bed. For the first time in the long time she had been kept in that house, the (H/C) haired girl let out a small laugh. Natsu smiled wide at the noise and pulled her up on her feet. He waved her into the living room where he set up a movie. They sat down and started watching it, and (Y/N) had, for the first time, willingly and knowingly scooted closer to him. She didn’t flinch when he kissed the top of her head, and she even ended up falling asleep as she gripped his shirt.

\-------

It had been about five months, and (Y/N) had to fight back the urge to forget the situation and live as she would’ve if she didn’t know Natsu was the person behind the gruesome murders. In the past months, she had been battling between her heart and her mind. She knew it wasn’t actually love. She had heard about this happening in other kidnapping cases. But her heart wanted to believe that it was real. About three months ago, she had convinced Natsu to stop hurting the townspeople, saying that she couldn’t stand to know that he had a violent side. It scared her, she said. And he listened (after one final Monday ritual that is). She slept in Natsu’s room every night, and she started to forget her life before all this. The only thing she could remember was Natsu. And she gave into it. She didn’t want to go back. She was happy, afterall.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the crappy ending.


	75. Natsu x Reader: New Year (Modern AU)

_Great. Just what I need._

(Y/N) stood off to the side of the room as others mingled with each other. The holiday party remained mostly calm with some incidents of overly hyper men cheering with each other over the football game they were watching in the other room. The (H/C) woman scanned the room again, her eyes landing on the one person she didn’t want to see. They seemed to make eye contact and (Y/N) cursed. She saw the smirk on her ex-boyfriend’s face and prepared for whatever bullshit he was going to come out with once she saw that she was sauntering over to her. 

“Fancy seeing you here, (Y/N). I didn’t think you’d have the guts to show yourself here.”

(Y/N) rolled her eyes and countered, “Well this is my friend’s party. You’re only here because her brother is your best friend.”

He had continued to bother her, rubbing it in her face that he had a _“super hot piece”_ and that she was here with him. (Y/N) couldn’t help but feel out of place throughout his speech. 

“She does so much more than you too,” he smirked. “Not like you did much anyway.”

“Well I’m very happy for you,” she managed to force out. “Now can I get back to enjoying the party?”

“You? A party? _Enjoying it?_ Oh please. We both know you’d rather be at home in your lonely apartment and your asshole cat reading some trashy romance novel. I mean, that’s the only way you’ll witness any love.”

“Yeah I know. You proved that.”

He laughed, as if taunting her. All she wanted to do was have him leave so that she could return to the corner she was sitting at. 

“Listen, I hate to cut this conversation short, but I really don’t wanna be here talking with you.”

“What’s wrong (Y/N)? Intimidated by how great I’m living my life while you’re still stuck at that deadend job with no one to talk to?”

Suddenly, (Y/N) felt a kiss on her cheek. She jumped at the touch and whipped her head around to see a man with pink hair and black eyes. 

“There you are. I’ve been looking for you everywhere, love.”

If (Y/N) could have, her jaw would’ve dropped open. Her ex’s face looked just as shocked as hers. The pink haired man just grinned down at you.

“Who the hell are you?”

Natsu looked at her ex-boyfriend and smiled before echoing, “Well who are you?”

(Y/N) looked between them rapidly.

“Uh, this is Richard. He’s my ex. Richard, this is--”

“Natsu. Her current boyfriend.”

(Y/N) silently choked on her drink as she looked up to the man saying his name was Natsu with wide eyes. Natsu just looked at her and winked. 

“So Richard, are you the boyfriend that completely fucked her life?”

“What’s it to you?”

Natsu shrugged and gently placed his hands on both of (Y/N)’s shoulders as he stood behind her. 

“I guess I just wanna know what kind of dick you are. Say, is that what your friends call you. Dick? That’s short for Richard and quite frankly fits you perfectly.”

(Y/N) looked at Natsu’s smug face and back to Richard’s pissed off demeanor. Sensing that a fight would potentially break out, she quickly pushed Natsu into the corner she was sitting at originally and waved her sarcastic goodbyes to Richard. Once they made it to the corner, (Y/N) glared at Natsu.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?!”

Natsu grinned wide and casually replied, “I was saving you. You looked like you were super uncomfortable. Besides, that guy seems like a total asshole and you shouldn’t be put down like that.”

“Listen, I appreciate the effort, but I don’t need you to pretend to be my boyfriend. Who even are you?”

“Natsu, duh.”

“That’s not what I meant!”

He smiled before he pointed to the room with all the shouting men. 

“I’m Loke’s friend.”

“Jesus Christ.”

“So what’s your name? I haven’t seen you around.”

“(Y/N). And I don’t do parties.”

Natsu chuckled before he gave a quick ‘I can tell’ before sitting down on a chair. He waved her to the seat next to him, and she reluctantly took it. 

“So tell me about yourself,” Natsu spoke up.

“Why would you wanna--”

“Well if I’m gonna be your fake boyfriend, I should know at least a little about you.”

“You’re done with being my ‘boyfriend.’ I’m out of the situation, so there’s no need for you to--”

She was cut off when Natsu suddenly grabbed her hand and kissed it.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?!”

“The asshole was looking over here,” Natsu explained. 

(Y/N) groaned, “How did I get into this situation?”

Natsu grinned wide at her and leaned back in the chair.

“Your knight in shining armor came to rescue you.”

“My ‘knight’ isn’t wearing his shining armor. He’s wearing a flannel.”

Natsu laughed loudly and closed his eyes.

“So what did that dickhead do to you?”

(Y/N) mumbled something under her breath, hoping the loud chatter would drown it out.

“Damn. Why would he wanna cheat on you?”

(Y/N) huffed because he heard her and started, “Because I wouldn’t--”

She caught herself and blushed. 

“You wouldn’t what?”

“That’s none of your business!”

Natsu hummed and opened one eye to look at her. He quickly shut it when she turned to look at him. She looked at him curiously. 

“Why did you do it?”

“Because I hate seeing asshats like that harassing innocent women. Plus you looked like you definitely needed an out.”

“You’re unbelievable.”

“I take that as a compliment at this point.”

They sat in silence before (Y/N) spoke up again.

“How do you know Loke? I’ve never heard of you before.”

“Seriously? That’s cruel. I’ve known him since freshman year of college. He was my roommate’s friend. What about you? Who do you know at this party? I haven’t seen you talk to a single person here.”

“My friend was the one who organized this party and...wait how do you know I haven’t talked to anyone?”

Natsu opened his eyes and sat up before giving her a lopsided smile. He pointed to the loud room of cheering men as a team presumably scored a touchdown. 

“I’m more of a hockey guy.”

“You’ve been watching me this entire time?” (Y/N) asked, clearly confused. “How?”

“You draw a lot of attention to yourself when you just sit away from everyone and scroll through your phone trying to look busy.”

(Y/N) blushed and looked away. She explained that she didn’t like parties and that she was only at the party because it was her best friend’s idea and she begged (Y/N) to be there. Natsu whirred and turned to face her. She raised her eyebrow at him, but he just grabbed her hand again. She looked around and spotted Richard with his back turned.

“What are you doing? He’s not even looking.”

“Yeah but that girl is,” he spoke as he pointed to the woman who was presumably Richard’s new girlfriend. 

“I doubt that she cares.”

Natsu pointed back to them to see that the woman looked over at them before whispering into Richard’s ear.

“Are you sure about that?” Natsu joked. 

(Y/N) huffed and leaned back in her chair. She looked down to see that their hands were still intertwined and blushed. She went to say something to him, but she stopped herself for a reason unknown to herself. She took out her phone and held it in her free hand. She responded to a text that she received before placing her phone back into her pocket. 

“It was my friend, just so you know.”

“Hey, who am I to get into your business? That’s your privacy.”

(Y/N) looked over at him in shock. Natsu noticed, and it was his turn to raise an eyebrow at her.

“Are you oka--”

“You’re not gonna demand to see my phone?” (Y/N) asked in wonder. “You’re not gonna read my texts?”

“Wha--why would I do that?” Natsu asked, surprised. 

(Y/N) just looked down shyly. Natsu seemed to catch on and leaned back again.

“Man, this guy is just getting worse and worse.”

“He was worried that I was cheating.”

“Yeah? And what about him?”

“I mean I guess I just got used to it.”

“To him cheating on you? Dude that’s like, so fucked up.”

“I started dating him in high school. I was really young, so I didn’t know anything. I wasn’t taught any of the typical warning signs or anything like that, so he basically got away with doing whatever he wanted. It wasn’t until about a year ago that my friend convinced me to finally end it.”

“So you went through at least three years of this shit?”

“Six, actually. We started dating sophomore year of high school.”

“Fuck that. I’m glad I stepped in. That dude rubs me the wrong way.”

“Because he’s annoying?” (Y/N) joked.

“No because nobody should ever treat anyone like that, let alone someone that person claims they love.”

(Y/N) blinked a couple times, surprised at his statement. 

“You...really think so?”

“Well duh. I mean, why are you gonna waste someone’s time and fuck with their feelings if you’re not even gonna try to treat them with respect? Like, that’s so fucking infuriating.”

“So you got fucked over too, huh?”

Natsu laughed bitterly and affirmed her suspicion, “I dated this girl a couple years ago that decided my dick of a brother was a better match.”

“Well aren’t we just the luckiest people in the world?”

“Tell me about it. Anyway, you want something to drink?”

“I don’t drink alcohol.”

“Well do you want water or something? I’m pretty sure I saw some type of juice in the fridge when I was in there earlier.”

“Did you go through my friend’s fridge?!”

Natsu chuckled before disappearing. 

“Unbelievable.” 

She took out her phone again and started to play Sudoku. Someone approached the corner. She looked up thinking it was Natsu returning, but she was met with Richard. He looked pissed.

“And what the fuck do you think you’re doing parading your new boyfriend in front of me? You should know by now how much I hate that.”

(Y/N) looked at him, slightly afraid of his temper. He saw him smirk.

“Oh? He’s not here anymore, huh? I bet he found out what a selfish prude you are and decided that you weren’t worth it.”

“Actually,” Natsu spoke up from behind him, “I just went to get some food. But thanks for keeping her company.”

Richard scoffed and turned to him before warning, “You better watch out for her, loser. She’s nothing but a liar and bitch.”

“I would appreciate it if you don’t talk about her like that.”

Richard rolled his eyes and started to stalk away when Natsu called after him.

“Oh, and I think the only one parading their partner around is you. Maybe if you actually paid any attention to your new girlfriend instead of just using her then you might make her a little happier.” 

“What did you just say to me you little punk?”

Natsu and Richard stood toe to toe as they glared at each other. (Y/N) could sense the tension between the two, and it seemed a couple people around them did too because people started making an opening around them. 

“Natsu, please don’t,” she begged.

Natsu looked back at (Y/N) and saw that she had a nervous and scared look in her eyes. He immediately backed away from Richard and ushered her back to her seat. 

“Sorry,” Natsu apologized. “I didn’t mean to scare you.”

(Y/N) just smiled at him and whispered, “It’s okay. Thank you.”

“So,” Natsu continued, his happy demeanor returning, “I got some food for you since I couldn’t find anything other than booze to drink. I got pepperoni pizza for you. I got a cheese pizza if you’re a vegetarian. And if you’re vegan or lactose intolerant, I got you some squash chips.”

“You got all that for me?”

“Well I mean I didn’t know if you had any special dietary needs and I didn’t want you to just go hungry while you watched me eat.”

She took the squash chips from him and slowly started to eat them. 

“So you’re vegan?”

(Y/N) gave a small giggle before responding, “No, but I really like squash chips.”

Natsu laughed loudly and looked back at her, asking which pizza she wanted. She said that either would be fine, so he started eating the pepperoni.

“So you still haven’t told me about yourself,” Natsu mumbled as he ate. 

“I mean, what’s there to tell? I’m just a typical person.”

“Hmm,” Natsu thought out loud, “tell me why you’re sitting in the corner when you have friends here.”

“But I already told you that. I don’t like parties.”

“Not even small ones?”

“ _This_ ,” (Y/N) said as she motioned towards the huge crowds of people, “is not a small party.”

“You should see some of the parties the guys throw.”

“I don’t even wanna know.”

Natsu seemed to be looking across the room, so you followed his gaze and saw that he was still glaring at Richard. 

“Natsu, it’s fine. As long as he’s not over here I’m fine.”

“Who would talk to someone that they dated for six years like that? Like why is he even here?”

“He’s the best friend of my best friend’s brother.”

“Gross.”

(Y/N) suddenly stood up, making Natsu look at her weird.

“Do you want something to drink? I’m going up to my friend’s secret fridge.”

“Secret fridge? Why didn’t you say anything earlier!” Natsu shouted as he jumped up and went to follow her. 

“No,” she chided. “You’re not allowed near it.”

Natsu huffed and sat back down, telling her that he would be fine with a beer. She snuck through the crowds and went into the basement. 

“Hey you!” 

(Y/N) turned to the side to see her best friend, Nia. She immediately smiled and walked over to her.

“Why’re you down here? It’s your party.”

“I wanted some good booze so I snuck down here. Now the real question,” Nia slyly asked, “is why you’ve been tucked into a corner with a guy.”

(Y/N) blushed before waving frantically and exclaiming, “It’s not like that! He just...helped me?”

“Oh yeah? With what?”

She looked down to the ground and mumbled “Richard,” causing Nia to hug her tightly. 

“I’m sorry, (N/N). I tried telling my stupid brother not to invite him, but, like always, he didn’t listen.”

“I mean I get it. I’m here and I’m your best friend, so it would make sense that his best friend came too.”

Nia rolled her eyes before dragging her to the fridge and handing her a bottle of apple juice and a bottle. (Y/N) looked at the glass suspiciously.

“Is this actually beer?”

“It’s Space Barley. It’s space shit. Over a hundred dollars for a six pack, so he better like it.”

“Why are you giving it to him if you don’t even know--”

“Anyone who stands up to Richard is a friend of mine. Especially when he defended my best friend and put that bastard in his place. Plus, he’s cute.”

(Y/N) laughed at her best friend before Nia pushed her back up the stairs, giving her a “go get ‘em” and a thumbs up. She rolled her eyes and climbed the stairs before sneaking over to the corner again. Natsu was busy playing Farm Heroes to notice that she returned, so she lightly kicked his foot. His head shot up in surprise before a grin spread across his face. She handed him the beer bottle and flopped on the seat next to him. Natsu looked at the bottle before spinning it around. 

“What’s this?” 

“My friend said it’s space beer.”

Natsu quirked an eyebrow before shrugging and starting to drink it. 

“This is so fucking cool.”

(Y/N) giggled and twisted open her apple juice. 

“So do you not drink, like, at all?”

“Richard wasn’t the nicest when he’s drunk,” (Y/N) said and trailed off before recovering, “I just don’t like it.”

“Are you _sure_ I can’t—”

“You’re not fighting him.”

Natsu groaned before he suddenly swung his arm around her. She looked up at him confused before he tilted his head towards a pissed off Richard. 

“You know you don’t have to do this, right?”

“I know.”

She relaxed under his touch and quietly sipped her apple juice. 

“Hey Natsu! We need your help getting Gray in a cab. He’s slammed as shit,” one of the guys said. 

Natsu chuckled before standing up and asking (Y/N) to hold his beer. 

“Don’t go anywhere, ‘kay?”

Richard wasted no time in storming over to the corner and confronting (Y/N). 

“Alright you little bitch, who is he?”

“That’s Natsu.”

“No shit. Where did you meet him?”

“At a party,” (Y/N) coolly replied. 

“And how long have you been together?”

“Oh, just a short time.”

“Dude why the hell don’t you just leave her alone? Why are you so obsessed with her?”

They turned around to see Natsu scowling.

“She’s mine, that’s why,” Richard growled.

“First off, she doesn’t belong to anyone. Not to mention that you broke up a year ago and you now have a new girlfriend, so you shouldn’t really be throwing around the ‘she’s mine’ around her.”

“Whatever dude. Have fun with the loser vanilla sex for the rest of your life. She doesn’t do anything else.”

With that, Richard walked away, grabbing his new girlfriend and dragging her off somewhere. Natsu was still seething, so (Y/N) approached him cautiously. She held her hand out and hesitantly touched his arm. 

“Thank you, Natsu, but you really don’t have to do all this. You’re aggravating yourself with situations that you don’t even have to deal with.”

“Come with me.”

Natsu gently tugged her sleeve and led her over to the overly loud room of football fans. She looked around and saw a bunch of guys, as well as some girls, crowding around Nia’s game room TV. 

“Ay, Natsu! There you are!” 

Loke shouted as he stood on the couch. He hopped off the back and made his way in front of the pair. 

“Oh hey (Y/N). Long time no see.”

She smiled back at him and looked back to the chaos. It looked like they were having their own party in the one room while the other party went on around them. There were kegs and a beer pong table, as well as an abundance of chairs that they stole from around the house. She giggled at the sight.

“You guys sure know how to throw a party.”

“What better way to spend New Year’s Eve than to get hammered and scream at a football game.”

She laughed at Loke’s care-free attitude. Natsu brought her over to a quiet (well, quieter) corner, pulling two chairs for them to sit.

“There. I doubt the douchebag will come in here.”

“Natsu! What’s up buddy?!”

They both turned to see a tall man carrying beers in both hands.

“Dude, how are you already double fisting?” Natsu laughed.

He pointed over to a woman with brown hair sitting on the floor with six bottles around her. Natsu shook his head and introduced them as Bacchus and Cana and apologized for their behavior. 

“They, uh, like parties.”

“It’s about damn time you got back here, Dragneel. Took you long enough.”

They turned to see a guy with black hair crossing his arms at him. He was introduced as Gajeel. He took one look at the two before smirking and snickered. Gajeel walked back towards the TV. 

“Hey Natsu, what kinda bottle is that?” Elfman asked from across the room.

“Space beer, cool huh?” Natsu replied as he grinned.

“Space beer? No way! Let me try it,” a blonde said as she rushed to his side.

“No way, Lucy. I earned this.”

Everything seemed to calm down after a few minutes of Natsu introducing everyone, and things went back to normal. Most of them were yelling at the TV while the others were just drinking and joking. Natsu leaned back so his head was resting on the wall and sighed in relief.

“If he comes in here he’s dead,” he said simply. 

“If he comes in here then I’m just going home. I can apologize to Nia tomorrow.”

“You’ve gotta be fucking kidding me,” Natsu growled. “Why the fuck is he going through so much trouble?”

“Because he likes to control me, if you haven’t noticed by now.”

Natsu stood up abruptly in his seat and stood protectively in front of her. 

“Listen asshole, I’ve tried acting nice all night, now--”

“Now I _know_ you’re not harassing this girl here,” a rather tall and very muscular man started as he stood up and walked in front of both Natsu and (Y/N). “Because if you are, then we have a problem.”

“Uh oh,” Loke sang, “someone got on Laxus’s bad side. You all know what that means!”

Everyone in the room chanted “loser lash!” as they looked at Richard. Richard tried staring him down, but he seemed very intimidated by the threatening aura radiating off Laxus. He started to retreat back into the main room before he looked over his shoulder. 

“Bitch.”

Natsu went to lunge at Richard, having more than enough of him the entire night, but the back of his collar was caught by Laxus and he was dragged back inside. Natsu mumbled to himself before pulling (Y/N) back to the corner. They stayed there for a little longer when (Y/N) seemed to drift off, her head falling onto Natsu’s shoulder. She woke up a while later and looked around to see that nothing had changed. Natsu was talking to Loke about something when he noticed that her eyes were barely open and she was looking up at him from his shoulder.

“Morning sunshine,” he joked. 

She grumbled before leaning back on his shoulder. She almost fell off her chair, so he laughed and brought them both down so they were sitting on the floor. She sighed contentedly before lowering her head and snuggling into his side. He laughed quietly at her and lifted her arm, pulling her closer. 

“Dude, it’s not even midnight yet. How can she possibly already be asleep?”

Natsu ‘shh’ed Gajeel and said it was probably all the stress from the night. He looked back down at her and addressed Loke.

“Should I get her back home?”

Loke shrugged and turned back to the TV, saying, “Whatever you want, man.”

He gently shook her and woke her up. He smiled innocently when he was met with a small glare. He guided her up and helped her stand as she tried to wake up. 

“Come on. I’ll drive you home.”

“No way, Natsu,” she started. “You had at least two beers tonight, so I’m not letting you drive.”

“Woah Natsu, _two_ beers,” Lucy snickered. “You’re turning into quite the drinker.”

“Yeah at this rate he’ll turn into Cana,” Elfman teased. 

Natsu scoffed and flipped his friends off, earning loud laughter. He turned to (Y/N) and said that he’d call her a cab when she started giggling.

“That won’t be necessary.”

“Didn’t you say you left your car at home?”

“I did, but I live down the street.”

“Oh,” Natsu chuckled. “Well then I guess I’ll _walk_ you home. Unless, of course, anyone has any more snide comments.”

Natsu looked at the group with an unimpressed look as he listened to all the taunts. He grabbed (Y/N)’s hand and led her out the front door, glaring at Richard and flipping him off when he looked over. They enjoyed the cool breeze, as it was, surprisingly, not unbearably cold out. They made idle conversation, quipping jokes at each other.

“So, are two drinks really all that rare for you?”

“I’m the backup designated driver, so I usually only have one in case the DD decides to be stupid and drink anyway.”

(Y/N) giggled and turned into a walkway.

“Well, this is me.”

(Y/N)’s phone started ringing, and she quickly silenced it before looking shyly down.

“What was that?”

“An alarm for midnight,” she sheepishly answered. 

“Did you know you’d fall asleep?” he teased.

“Well, actually it was more of a ‘midnight kiss’ alarm. I was hoping to find someone, which was very unlikely considering how I am at parties.”

Natsu grinned and whispered, “I think you found someone.”

(Y/N) looked up shocked and blushed before sputtering out, “You really don’t have to. You’ve done so much for me already and--”

She was cut off when Natsu slowly brought his lips to hers. He pulled back, and both of them had childish grins on their faces. 

“Happy New Year’s, Natsu."

“I’ve been waiting all night to do that,” Natsu breathed.


	76. Natsu x Bounty Hunter!Reader: Salamander

It was a typical job for (Y/N): find and capture the Salamander, bring him in for a reward. Given his reputation as a powerful wizard and his uncommon magic abilities, there was a substantial bounty attached to his capture. This wasn’t any different from the other jobs she had done. It was the same motions that she needed to go through: corner, capture, collect. Except there was one thing that made him a little different than the others. There was word around the other bounty hunters that the Salamander was a stubborn wizard who seemed to always fight his way out of situations like this. Some hunters said that it wasn’t even worth the bounty for the amount of trouble the Salamander caused, which meant that there were very few of them targeting him at that point. It was the ideal situation. She didn’t even have to worry about the competition from other bounty hunters. It was perfect.

(Y/N) slipped through the train carts to exit onto the platform at Magnolia’s station. She stretched her arms and shook her legs to get rid of the cramps that started to form from sitting for a long period of time. You see, this (H/C) bounty hunter lived in Dawn City, which means that she had to travel the whole length of Fiore to get there. It would be worth the trip, she reasoned. The money would surely make up for the hours of listening to other passengers cough and talk for hours on end. 

Her arm had finally woken up, having fallen asleep towards the end of the ride due to the way she leaned against the window. Fresh air waved through her system, and she let out a deep breath. The station was crowded, which meant that the town was also flooded. Whether there was an overwhelming population of wizards in this town, she did not know. For the sake of the job, she hoped that Magnolia would be a mostly civilian town. Though she doubted it as soon as she started walking towards the center of town. Standing tall, and boasting a large sign, stood the Fairy Tail guildhall. A groan was heard from the bounty hunter. Fairy Tail would prove to be a problem during this process. She knew that this wouldn’t be an easy task. A loose plan was quickly made: lure the Salamander away from where Fairy Tail could easily track and deal with him there. 

There was another problem. The people who made the flyers didn’t include a description, saying that the Salamander was so well-known that a picture or list of characteristics were unnecessary. She knew that he was part of Fairy Tail, and she was a wizard, so her plan was to infiltrate under the disguise of an excited mage eager to join the guild. They accept everyone, she had heard. This would surely be easy, she concluded. 

(Y/N) grabbed the straps of her backpack and hoisted it back up. Weaving through the crowds deemed to be a little difficult, as the amount of townspeople increased the further into the town she went. Soon, the Fairy Tail guildhall stood in front of her. It was then that she finally realized how much it towered over the rest of the town. She took in a deep breath and slowly opened the door. A flying table immediately greeted her, whipping towards her face. She let out a small squeak and quickly punched the table in half, successfully avoiding a disaster. 

Everyone slowly turned towards the door when they heard the cracking of the broken wood as it fell to the floor. They all looked to each other before looking back at her. She was fuming at this point, but she needed to keep her cover, so she forced a smile onto her face. A short and old man in a jacket made his way over to the unknown girl. He stopped in front of her and looked up to her, apologizing for the trouble that had been (quite literally) thrown at her. (Y/N) just shook her head, dismissing the apology and saying that it wasn’t necessary. 

“If it’s not too much trouble, I would like to speak about possibly joining this guild.”

“Of course. Everyone is welcome here. Let’s get you your mark. What’s your name?”

Bewilders at how easy it was, she knitted her eyebrows, but she still followed him over to the bar where a woman with white hair held the stamp. The mark was placed on her (body part), and she was soon approached by a blonde woman.

“Hi. I’m Lucy. It’s nice to meet you.”

_Lucy Heartfelia, the young heiress with a bounty of 540,000 Jewel. Good to know._

A red haired woman also joined the bar, announcing, “I’m Erza. I’m sure your stay here will be a lot better than the first impression we have put forward.”

_Erza Scarlet, known as Titania in the bounty ring. A reward of 1,100,000 Jewel. She poses a little more trouble then I want to go through though._

A shirtless boy came over as well, introducing himself as Gray Fullbuster.

_No bounty._

“Well it’s nice to meet you all,” she happily responded. “I hope that I’ll be able to learn a lot from being here.”

“What type of magic do you use?” A girl known as Wendy questioned. 

“I use poison magic.”

“That’s so cool,” a blue cat spoke up from the door.

(Y/N) turned around and gasped when she saw the exceed.

“Talking cat? Flying cat?”

“Aye, sir! We’re Happy and Natsu!”

The bounty hunter fulling turned to face the pair, taking in their descriptions. Blue cat, green pouch, white wings. Pink hair, black eyes, overcoat. Their descriptions weren’t posted on any flyers, so she decided that they also had no bounty attached to them. She slowly walked over to them, faking her manners and shaking Natsu’s hand.

“My name is (Y/N). I’m new here.”

Natsu took one look at her and grinned wide.

“Well welcome to the guild then,” he loudly spoke. 

\-------

It had been a month, and the Salamander hadn't shown up to the guild. (Y/N) was starting to lose hope, but she told herself that she needed to do this. She traveled across Fiore for this and she wasn’t about to travel all the way back empty-handed. 

In that month, (Y/N) had become familiar with most of the members. One wizard in particular caught her attention, and it was the boy with pink hair. Something drew her to him, and she was suspicious at first, but her wish to know him overruled her resolve to distance herself from any emotion towards the guild members. Natsu Dragneel, the overly energetic and empty headed boy that had broken the walls she put up for the sake of the job. 

“Hey (Y/N), why don’t you come on a job with Happy and I? I promise I won’t puke.”

Lucy rolled her eyes and made a comment about how he shouldn’t make a promise that he knew he couldn’t keep. Natsu shook it off and gave a close eyed smile and a thumbs up.

“Whaddya say?”

It would be her first job with him. She would finally be able to (hopefully) see his magic in action. The month had shown her that Natsu was a fire wizard, which intrigued her greatly. But she had never seen it in action. Well, longer than the quick brawls that Fairy Tail frequently take part in. 

She agreed and gathered her stuff. They met at the train station, Natsu glaring at the train before giving a nervous laugh towards the poison mage. He reluctantly stepped onto the train, and he sunk into his seat immediately when the train jolted. (Y/N) sighed and looked out the window for the remainder of the ride, ignoring the low groans from the fire wizard.

“Natsu, we’re here.”

As soon as she said that, he quickly jumped up from his seat and ran out and onto the platform, taking in a deep breath and looking towards the train.

“You didn’t throw up. I’m impressed.”

Natsu grinned and gave a ‘told you’ before grabbing her hand and starting to pull her towards the center of the town the request came from. 

“Apparently it’s in the forest,” Natsu reminded her. “I guess we could just sleep there afterwards instead of getting an inn.”

“Why?”

“Who doesn’t like camping?” He cheerfully questioned. 

(Y/N) gave a small laugh and nodded her head in agreement. Their job was easy: capture some bandits that stole from the townspeople. It was just another day for (Y/N). Capture was, of course, how she made her living. So a simple bandit would surely not pose any trouble for the bounty hunter. 

Their trip was quick, the forest being near the edge of town they were already near. Natsu pointed towards a spot far off and saw that there was a small group sitting around a fire. (Y/N) nodded and slipped behind the trees and closer to the group. She activated her Numb poison, and they soon dropped to the ground, unable to move their limbs. Natsu walked over to them and tied them up, turning back towards the (H/C) haired girl.

“That was super cool. I’m glad you don’t use that in the guildhall.”

(Y/N) smiled and grabbed one of the bandits, dragging him towards the town where they handed them off to the soldiers that were tasked with transporting them. Natsu pulled her back towards the forest and returned to the spot where the bandits were.

“Why are we back here?”

“Because the campsite is already set up,” Natsu explained. 

He sat at the fire and leaned back on her hands. (Y/N) soon joined him, sitting cross legged and holding her hands closer to the fire. Natsu seemed to notice this.

“Cold?”

“Just a little.”

He studied her for a few moments, making her raise her eyebrows and question what he was looking at. His hand waved her over to him, and she looked at him in confusion, but he just waved her over again. She slowly stood up and sat in the spot next to him, squeaking in surprise when he had pulled her into his side and wrapped his arms around her. 

“Natsu?” She tested.

“You, uh, you said you were cold.”

“Oh.”

Silence washed over them as they both awkwardly sat there. (Y/N) eventually started wiggling until she was closer to the fire wizard and pressed herself against him.

“You’re warm.”

“That would be the fire,” he laughed.

The bounty hunter hummed and gripped the side of his overcoat to bring his warmth towards her. 

“There’s one more thing that could help,” Natsu blurted.

(Y/N) tilted her head upwards and prompted him to continue. Natsu looked off to the side, giving a ‘nevermind’ before looking straight ahead at the surrounding trees. The (E/C) eyed girl took her hand and placed it on one of his.

“I think I’d be open to it,” she said before she joked, “I mean, to save body heat and all.”

Natsu leaned down, giving her a short kiss and pulling away with a deep scarlet rushing on his cheeks. (Y/N) closed her eyes and retreated to cuddling into his side.

“You’ve gotten even warmer,” she playfully commented. “Now I’ll be nice and toasty.”

The fire wizard rolled his eyes, but a smile slipped on his face before he laid down, bringing her with him to the ground. 

“Are you tired?”

“I get warmer when I sleep,” Natsu responded. “So, I mean…”

(Y/N) grabbed her sleeping back and brought it to Natsu’s side, scooting next to him once again. They both fell asleep rather quickly, Natsu loosely holding onto her and (Y/N) leaning her head on his chest.

\-------

“Man I can’t wait to get back and sleep in my bed,” Natsu moaned as they walked from the Magnolia station to the guildhall. 

“If I remember correctly, you were the one who wanted to sleep in the woods.”

“Still.”

The guildhall was in its usual state, which was, of course, a disaster. Tables were flying, chairs were smashed, food was thrown, screaming was heard. Natsu smiled before immediately jumping into the mix, earning a loud sigh from the bounty hunter. The girl inched along the walls to get to the bar where Makarov helplessly watched the chaos increase. 

“How was your trip, (Y/N)?” Mira questioned. 

“Oh, uh, good.”

Mira noticed her nerves and slyly asked, “Did something happen?”

“Mira!”

“Oh, so it did! I’m so happy for you. I know that you--”

(Y/N) covered Mira’s mouth before she could finish her sentence and quickly looked around to make sure no one heard. 

“Mira, don’t do that.”

The white haired woman giggled and pointed over to the approaching Natsu.

“So I was thinking that we could maybe--”

“Hey Salamander, what the hell are you doing?” Gajeel called from the front doors. “I leave for a month and you destroy the entire guildhall?”

Gajeel Redfox, the iron dragon slayer. 590,000 Jewel.

(Y/N)’s ears perked up, remembering what the dragon slayer had said, and she scanned the room for the Salamander. There were no new people that weren’t present for the month she was there. Confusion washed over her as she tried to figure out who Gajeel was talking about. Her heart dropped when Natsu answered.

“Wait,” she spoke, heart racing, “ _you’re_ the Salamander?”

“Huh? Oh yeah, but Gajeel’s really the only one who calls me that,” he said, rubbing the back of his head. “It’s like a nickname that people gave me for my dragon slayer magic.”

“You’re the fire dragon slayer,” she repeated. “Not a fire wizard?”

“Yeah. Is something wrong?”

_Salamander, the fire dragon slayer of Fairy Tail. 2,502,000 Jewel. ‘Preferably dead.’_

“You never told me you were a dragon slayer,” she quietly spoke.

Tears started to grip her eyelids, and they soon dropped as she looked at him. The sudden tears concerned everyone, and Natsu was quick to take her shoulders and ask her what was wrong. 

“I need to leave.”

And with that, she ran out of the guildhall, leaving a very confused Fairy Tail.

“Who the hell was that?” Gajeel asked before turning to Natsu. “And why did she just bolt on you?”

“That’s our newest member,” Erza explained, “though I don’t know the reason for her sudden departure.”

Natsu pressed his lips into a line before saying that he was going to look for her. Following his nose, the river came into view. On the edge of the wall sat said girl. He stopped, standing behind her and joining her in looking out at the river. He took the chance to sit down next to her and poke her shoulder.

“What’s wrong?”

“I really like you,” she said as she sniffled. 

“I really like you too. But why are you crying?”

“That’s why! I...I can’t.”

“What’re you--”

“I’m supposed to kill you,” she said simply. 

“Huh? Kill me? What would make you want to--”

“You’re the Salamander, the one who everyone is after. Numerous people have tried to capture you by now, so you should know what people want to happen to you.” 

“So you’re...a bounty hunter?”

“Yes,” she snapped. “And I traveled from Dawn City all the way over here to try to catch you. Your reward would help me with so much, but I…”

“You came here to kill me?”

She looked down, solemnly watching the fish as they circled the small section of water by their feet. 

“I’m sorry Natsu. I thought the Salamander was supposed to be some weathered guy that easily defeated the other hunters. I never would’ve imagined that someone like you would be the Salamander.”

“Well I am,” he said simply. “So what’s your move? You gonna try to kill me like the others?”

“I can’t.”

The corner of Natsu’s lips twitched up into a relieved smile. He leaned on his hands and stared out onto the river. 

“I always wanted to know how much I cost for people like you.”

“2,502,000 Jewel.”

“Holy shit. That’s way more than S-class requests.”

“Which is why you can see why so many people came after you. You’re a very wanted man, Natsu.”

“So whatcha gonna do now?”

“Return home I guess. Find another bounty. Collect.”

“Hunting people can’t be fun.”

“My magic makes it easier than it sounds. I can just poison people and prevent them from using magic or running away.”

They sat in silence before Natsu hesitantly spoke up.

“How many people have you…”

“One. But it was a known criminal.”

“And how many have you turned over?”

“About thirty.”

She suddenly stood up, backing away from the ledge and spinning around to walk away. Natsu stopped her by grabbing the back of her shirt.

“Where’re you going?”

“Back to Dawn City. I can’t complete this job, so I’ll get another. There’s nothing else left to do.”

“Stay.”

“Here?” She spoke, confused. “But I shouldn’t be around you all. You guys all have big bounties out on you.”

“You’re part of Fairy Tail. Nobody’s gonna hold your past against you. We all like having you around, and maybe you can really have fun once you’re not trying to distance yourself from everyone. I know that I would want you to stay, and I’m sure everyone else will too.”

She stood there for a minute, her head hanging down. A deep breath sounded from the bounty hunter, and she returned to sitting by his side. Natsu smiled before pointing out the small school of fish swimming by their feet.

“Even the fish want you to stay,” he joked. “Come on, let’s get you back to the guild.”

(Y/N) stayed silent, but she followed him back to the guildhall, playing with her fingers.

“So,” Natsu cheekily asked, “I have a big bounty out on me, eh? What’s Gray’s?”

“I don’t believe he has a bounty out on him,” (Y/N) truthfully revealed. 

“HA!”


	77. Singer!Natsu x Reader: Secret (Modern AU) [requested]

Natsu sighed loudly as he sat in front of the massive pile of pictures he needed to autograph. He held his head in his hands and rubbed his temples as he groaned. 

“Natsu, you have to finish these before you go for your interview with Harmony Today.”

“I need a break.”

And with that, Natsu stood up from the crowded table and walked over to the front window, looking out at the massive crowds of screaming fans. 

“Can I at least go out and talk to them?”

“Not until you finish signing.”

Natsu laid his forehead against the window and closed his eyes before taking in a deep breath and making his way back to the table. He took the marker from his manager and plopped down in the chair again. About an hour went by, and Natsu had finished the batch of autographs. He was, as usual, denied when he asked again if he could go out to greet the fans, and his team dragged him out the back door. Once Natsu was in the car, he asked for the radio to be turned off, saying that he just wanted to sit in silence. 

“Now we have two hours at the interview and then you can do what you want for an hour before we go to the studio. Got it?”

Natsu half listened to his manager’s usual lecture about making sure to not be late, and he looked out the window, watching all the fans start to spot the departing car.

\-------

“Why are interviews so exhausting?”

“It’s what comes with being famous, Natsu.”

“What kind of question was that though? I mean, I might be famous, but some questions are inappropriate for anyone. It shouldn’t mean that I have to answer really personal questions like that.”

“Just let it roll off. You don’t have to go back there for at least another year.”

“Can I leave now? I need a nap.”

“Just remember the--”

“Studio. Yeah I got it.”

Natsu slipped out of the car and unlocked his gate before quickly heading inside and standing in the front door. He looked around the room: vaulted ceilings, huge staircase, expensive furniture. But something was missing. Happiness. You see, Natsu had always wanted to be a singer. He remembered when he first learned how to play guitar. His first song was about his favorite pet fish, and he would make “concerts” in his living room. Serious writing started around fourteen, and at eighteen he was finally signed. It was great at first - people were finally listening to his songs. They were appreciating his music that he put his soul into. 

But it was different now. It seemed that nobody was interested in the music anymore, least of all the producers. They would throw random shit at him and tell him it would be his next hit, completely ignoring the lyrics that he had penned himself. It felt fake. He went right back to where he started: nobody heard his songs. Now, however, he dealt with what came along with the fame. 

He couldn’t remember the last time he could go somewhere without being recognized and fawned over. It wouldn’t bother him as much if this all came because he did what he was passionate about. Hell, he loved the fans. It brought him so much joy at first to see that people loved his music. But with the lack of input, he felt like he didn’t deserve the fans, and he lost his connection with them. 

“Fuck this.”

Once Natsu saw that the car pulled away, he snuck out of the gate again and hopped into his own car, pulling out of the driveway and driving to the place where it all began: Fairy Tail Coffee. As usual, it was quiet there. People came to relax and unwind, and the comfortable couches mixed with the warm drinks and pastries helped them do just that. It all started here. The coffee shop had weekly open mics, and by luck, a talent agent was there to witness his songs. Everything changed from there. 

The pink haired musician slipped into the cafe, his hoodie and sunglasses on, and ordered a mug of hot chocolate. He grabbed his cup from the barista and spun around to take his seat when he accidentally bumped into who was behind him, causing his hot chocolate to spill. The girl let out a small squeak, but she managed to escape the wrath of the hot liquid. Well, except for her shoes. 

“Shit,” he cursed, worried that she would easily recognize his voice. “Hey I’m sorry about that. You’re not hurt are you?”

“No, I should be fine. I needed to replace these shoes anyway,” she joked. 

Natsu scanned her, trying to gauge how to get out of the inevitable gushing of his amass of fans. The girl just smiled warmly and walked over to the coffee bar for some napkins. She returned to Natsu and bent down, crouching on the floor and beginning to wipe it off. 

“Uh, they have people for that you know,” he hesitantly spoke. 

“I know.”

She stood back up and gave another smile before she stepped around him and ordered. Natsu did a double take and followed her back over.

“Are you sure you’re okay?”

“I’ll be fine. Did you want to reorder? You can skip ahead of me.”

Natsu squinted, trying to take in her motive. Was it so he would owe her a favor? Maybe it was all some ploy to get him to stay longer. She might post it on her story, and then he would never be able to go to this place again from paparazzi stalking this place for future signs of him. For some reason, he didn’t get those vibes, so he decided to investigate.

Before he knew it, she had disappeared from the line and shuffled over to the corner chair with her drink and cookie. She set her mug on the small side table that sat next to the chair and crossed her legs as she pulled out her phone. 

“Fuck.”

He quickly made his way over to her, desperate to keep his cover and visit here a secret. All he would have to do was stop her from using her phone. The singer sat down on the chair beside her and sipped his new drink, checking over her shoulder every few seconds to see if she was posting anything. She seemed to notice him by that point, so she shifted in her seat to face him.

“Can I help you?”

“Oh, uh, this is usually where I sit. Don’t mind me.”

The girl nodded and turned back to her drink. Natsu decided to test the situation, so he started a conversation. 

“Do you usually come here?”

“Every day I can,” she chippered. “I love their cookies. Though the muffins are strong contenders as well.”

“The frosted holiday cookies are the best.”

“Valentine’s or Halloween?”

“Oh definitely Halloween.”

The girl giggled and agreed, saying that she thought the Halloween cookies tasted especially delicious depending on the weather. 

“You see, if you get a fall cookie during fall weather, you’ll be able to enjoy it better than a love cookie in February.”

Natsu set his mug down and turned towards her again, studying her movements. She casually nibbled in the cookie as she continued to tap at her phone. 

“Uh, so are you from around here?”

The girl locked her phone before putting it off to the side on the table and smiled. 

“I live near the center of town, so it’s just a short walk to get here. What about you?”

“Oh, uh,” Natsu stumbled, trying to figure out a vague answer. “I live by the edge of town.”

She nodded in acknowledgement before sipping her drink.

“What brings you here today?” She questioned. 

“Trying to escape from today’s stress,” he said truthfully. 

Natsu and the (H/C) haired girl sat for another ninety minutes just sharing their days. He had learned that her name was (Y/N) and that she loved sitting and relaxing after a long day. The dim lights and cozy atmosphere was readily embraced by her. Natsu’s phone started vibrating, and he realized that he was late when his manager’s name flashed across the screen. He groaned and quickly answered, apologizing and promising that he would be right over. 

“Work?”

“Unfortunately,” he muttered. “Uh, well it was nice meeting you. Sorry again about the spill.”

“Don’t even worry about it.”

\-------

“How many times have I told you not to be late?” Natsu’s manager scolded. “And you still came in late!”

“I got distracted,” Natsu shot back. “Excuse me for enjoying myself.”

“Get in the booth.”

Natsu huffed and stood in front of the microphone, impatiently tapping his foot as he waited for his next “original” song to be thrown at him. He was given the lyrics and melodies and began, his producers stopping him countless times along the way. After the song was done, he was grabbed and led into the awaiting car where flashed and clicks flooded his senses. Per instructions, he kept his head down and didn’t answer any questions. For the rest of the ride, Natsu was yelled at by his manager as Natsu looked longingly out the window, watching the trees and building pass by. 

“Are you even listening?” His manager snapped. 

“Not at all,” Natsu drawled. 

\-------

The next month, Natsu had the day off, which meant another trip to the cafe. It wasn’t like he hadn’t been there since. He had come in every other day when he had time and chatted with the girl he had met. A wide smile crept onto his face when he saw the familiar girl sitting in the corner. He ordered and stood in front of her.

“Hey there. Fancy seeing you here again.”

(Y/N) rolled her eyes and welcomed him. Natsu had taken the seat next to her again and spread his legs out in front of him. 

“Doesn’t your neck sweat from always wearing a hoodie like that? It’s really warm in here.”

“Oh, uh, I get cold a lot.”

Natsu nervously looked towards her to see that she had bought the lie and let out a breath of relief. 

“So do you have to run off somewhere again? Your boss seemed pretty mad at you yesterday.”

“He’ll get over it,” he dismissed. “Besides, I have the day off today.”

After sitting with each other for an hour, (Y/N) needed to leave, so she waved him off and returned the mug to the counter.

“Wait!”

(Y/N) jumped at the sudden shout and quickly turned around to question Natsu for his outburst.

“Uh,” he started, completely forgetting how to hold a conversation, “do you listen to music?”

(Y/N) raised an eyebrow, giving an ‘of course I do’ before waiting for him to continue.

“Nevermind.”

She looked at him in confusion, but continued on her way out the door. Natsu cursed and quickly exited the shop to catch up to her.

“Wait!”

She stopped again.

“What is it?”

“Um, are you single?”

“Yes?”

“Uh, did you wanna go get something to eat some time?”

“I don’t know your name, and you refuse to show me your face,” she stated simply. “What if you’re some serial killer waiting to lure me away and kill me?”

“You don’t know already?” He asked, completely astounded. 

“You’ve never given me your name, so no.”

Natsu’s eyes darted around them, searching for any possible paparazzi or fans before grabbing (Y/N)’s shoulders. She jumped at the sudden movement, but her focus was pulled when he uncovered his face.

“Don’t freak out.”

“Why would I freak out? Are you sure you’re feeling well today?”

“You don’t know me?”

“That is correct, and you’re really starting to freak me out.”

“My name is Natsu.”

“Oh, well then, Natsu, you’re really starting to freak me out.”

“You don’t...you’re not gonna freak out?”

“About what?” 

Natsu’s eyes widened, and he stared at her with an open mouth. 

“I just thought you might’ve seen me before,” he quickly played off. “I only started wearing my hood a couple months ago, so I didn’t know if you recognized me from before or something.”

“You’re a very strange man, Natsu.”

“You don’t even know half of it.”

\-------

“And where do you think you’re going, Natsu?” The manager interrogated. “We have a meet and greet tomorrow morning and you still need to meet with the band to go over practice tonight.”

“Just give me like two hours,” Natsu called out, grabbing his keys and running down the stairs. “Feel free to stay in the house though. I’ll be back soon.”

The manager tried to stop him, but Natsu had snuck past the paparazzi and taken the back driveway out onto the empty dirty road behind the house. He arrived at the coffee shop about ten minutes later, and he spotted the familiar (H/C) hair popping from inside the window. His grin appeared, and he hopped down from his car and slowly opened the cafe doors to draw (Y/N)’s attention. Her head snapped up when she heard her name, and a smile graced her face as she stood up from the chair and followed him out to the car.

“Hey, you’re not wearing your hood!”

“I figured a hoodie isn’t the ideal date outfit.”

Before she got in, she inspected the side of the door and checked the license plates.

“Uh…”

“Just in case you put the child lock on. You never know when you might be kidnapped.”

Natsu laughed quietly as she finally climbed in and asked her if she was up for a meal at the diner by the river. She nodded and buckled herself in, looking at the inside of the car. 

“I’m not gonna kidnap you,” he joked. 

He swore under his breath when he saw that her eyes landed on the guitar in the back seat. 

“You play guitar?”

“Yes.”

“Are you any good?” She taunted.

“I would like to think so.”

“Maybe after dinner you can play me a song.”

“Is there a specific song you want?”

By that point, Natsu had pulled into the parking lot of the diner. He got out and opened her door for her, leading her into the restaurant. This was his usual restaurant, so everyone there was already familiar with him. It made it a little easier because he wouldn’t have to battle the staff with his identity’s secret. (Y/N) happily sat in the chair across from the singer, and they talked throughout dinner. 

“So what do you do for a living?”

Natsu gave a vague answer, saying he was “an independent employee” and that he made his own work. All through the meal, Natsu and (Y/N) spoke and interrogated each other. Dinner ended, and they walked out of the diner laughing at each other. By that point, everyone else had left, leaving the parking lot completely empty aside from Natsu’s car and a few of the cooks’ cars. 

Natsu pulled his guitar out from the backseat and opened the trunk, waving (Y/N) to sit beside him. She hopped onto the trunk gate and faced a nervous Natsu. He was petrified that she would easily recognize him if he started to play and sing.

“Do you know (song name)?” She probed.

Natsu situated his guitar, (Y/N) watching him intently as he started, fascinated with the ease of his playing. After the song was done, (Y/N) clapped quietly.

“Hey,” she teased, “you’re really good. You should do it for a living.”

Natsu nervously laughed, quickly placing the guitar back in the car. 

“So, uh, what—”

Natsu was cut off by his phone ringing. His eyes darted over towards the screen to see that his manager was the one calling him. 

“I have to take this.”

He hopped off his car and walked around towards the hood, answering the phone and speaking in a hushed tone. His manager was, of course, yelling at him for missing the events on his schedule, and Natsu had to listen to his lecture until he was allowed to speak. He took a quick look behind him to see that (Y/N) was dangling her feet over the edge of the trunk as she played on her phone. 

“I’ll be there in a half hour. Just let me finish something first.”

“You better hurry the hell up! I have you the two hours and you went past it. What’re you even doing?”

“Nothing,” came Natsu’s quick response. “I’ll be there soon.”

The singer hung up the phone and made his way back to the trunk where (Y/N) patiently sat. She looked up from her phone and tilted her head. 

“Everything okay?”

“Oh yeah. It was just my boss. I have to go into work for something. I’m sorry. Did you want me to drop you off at home?”

“The coffee shop is fine. It’s only a few minutes walk.”

They both hit into the car and locked the door, (Y/N) humming softly to the radio. The first few chords of a song that was very familiar to Natsu started playing, causing the pink haired singer to frantically change the station. (Y/N) seemed to not notice, too busy looking out the window. Natsu sighed in relief and reached the coffee shop. 

(Y/N) leaned over and kissed his cheek, giving him a quiet ‘goodnight’ before hopping out. The doors shut, and Natsu gripped the steering wheel. 

“How the hell did that go so smoothly?”

He decided not to question it further and opted to start on his way home. As soon as he opened the car door, a swarm of paparazzi crowded him, cameras flashing. His manager opened the front door and yanked him inside.

“You’re unbelievable. The band had to run the set without you. Where the fuck were you?”

“I stepped out for a minute.”

“Over two hours is not a minute. Get your shit together or you’ll never make it.”

“Not like I wanted to make it anymore anyway,” he mumbled under his breath. 

He walked up the stairs to his room and sat at the edge of the bed. Aggravation slowly disappeared when his phone dinged. 

_Just making sure you didn’t give me a fake number._

Natsu debated giving it to her, but he had caved halfway through dinner, deciding that he would give it a try and out his trust in her. She didn’t seem to recognize him at all. And that’s what he always wanted. Someone who didn’t gush at him at first sight. Someone who liked him for him instead of his job or name. 

And (Y/N) seemed to be just that. Would he actually tell her? For that, he would have to wait. 

“I don’t want this thing to get fucked yet again.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: So there will probably be a part two later. Enjoy!


	79. Cheater!Natsu x Reader: Sneak Bad Ending) [requested]

“I just don’t know what to do,” (Y/N) sniffled.

“I mean, do you really think he would cheat? It’s Natsu.”

(Y/N) looked to Lucy and started crying again. Lucy sighed and opened her arms, and (Y/N) immediately went in for a hug. The blonde gave her a comforting squeeze before holding her at an arm’s length. 

“He loves you more than anything, (N/N). He wouldn’t just throw it away like that.”

“He’s just been so distant lately, and whenever I ask him where he’s going he says that he’s on his way to the guildhall. But I went to visit the guildhall today when he said he would be there and nobody had seen him all day.”

“Maybe he was busy?”

“With what?” She snapped before immediately apologizing to her friend.

Lucy waved it off and stood up, holding her hand out for (Y/N) to take. She pulled her up and started to leave the apartment. 

“Where’re we going, Lu?”

“We’re going on a girl’s day. First stop: cake!”

(Y/N) let out a small giggle, a smile finally sneaking onto her face. Her happiness subsided once they sat down and got their desserts.

“Oh come on, (Y/N). You can’t be sad when a perfectly good cake is sitting right in front of you,” Lucy teased. 

(Y/N) took her fork and started pushing the cake around on her plate, a solemn look on her face. 

“(N/N), you’ve been dating for three years. He wouldn’t do that to you.”

“I guess,” she quietly responded. 

After they spent the whole day together, (Y/N) returned to the house that she shared with Natsu and Happy. She took in the familiar tree sticking out and smiled. The house brought so many happy memories with it, and she loved each one. Her frown overwhelmed her smile yet again, and she slowly opened the front door to see Natsu and Happy asleep on the couch. (Y/N) stepped towards the couch and crouched down, gently shaking Natsu’s shoulders. He lazily opened his eyes, and he greeted her with a wide grin. 

“Where were you today? Getting into trouble?” Natsu joked. 

(Y/N) kissed his cheek before standing up and going into the kitchen. Natsu soon followed, wrapping his arms around her from behind and resting his head on top of hers as she leaned against the stove. She slowly stirred the food in the pot and sighed. 

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” came her quick answer.

“Uh oh, Natsu,” Happy warned as he floated into the kitchen. “What did you do?”

Natsu leaned in front of his girlfriend and turned off the stove before tugging her out of the kitchen and back to the couch. He deducted that she was more sad than angry, taking in the lack of raised voices and the defeated look in her eyes. He slowly stroked her hair and rubbed her cheek, waiting for her to tell him what was bothering her. She stayed silent, her hands folded in her lap and a tight frown on her face. 

“(N/N), I know when something’s up. Spill it.”

“No. I’m good.”

And with that, she made her way to the bed and slipped under the covers. Natsu looked outside to see that the sun hadn’t gone down, so he followed her and sat at the edge of the bed.

“(Y/N), it’s not even dark out yet.”

“I’m just tired.”

Natsu sat on the bed for a few minutes, and he left when he heard her soft breathing slow. 

“Natsu, is she okay?” Happy questioned. 

“She said she’s tired, but I’m not sure,” Natsu responded truthfully.

\-------

(Y/N) walked into the guildhall, and she became close to tears when she saw that he wasn’t in the guildhall again when he said he would be.

“Hey (N/N)!” Levy called. “I didn’t know you were coming in today. This is great!”

“Has Natsu been in today? I was trying to find him.”

“No I haven’t seen him at all today. Is it something important?”

“Oh no,” (Y/N) quickly dismissed. “I just wanted to ask him if he wanted to go out to eat tonight.”

“I think we all know the answer to that one,” Wakaba teased. 

A ghost of a smile appeared for a split second, and she stayed in the guildhall for another hour before she left and went to find Natsu. She gave up after a half hour and returned home to find him in the kitchen leaning over the sink. (Y/N) quietly set her shoes to the side of the door and joined him in the kitchen. She found him holding a piece of raw chicken, his tongue sticking out in unrivaled concentration. 

“What’re you doing?”

“Washing the chicken.”

“Natsu,” she giggled, all her sadness disappearing, “you’re not supposed to wash raw chicken.”

Natsu started to mutter under his breath and set the chicken back down on the cutting board. 

“We’re gonna have to clean the sink now.”

“You would think that you would need to wash the chicken first,” the fire mage mumbled. “Anyway, what kind of chicken do you want tonight?”

“Whichever you want to cook. I’m gonna go take a shower.”

Seconds later, (Y/N) heard a loud ‘dinner’s ready!’ from the dragon slayer, so she spun back around and re-entered the kitchen.

“I hope you didn’t burn it again,” (Y/N) chided. “You completely destroyed it last time.”

“No way. It’s perfectly cooked this time, right Happy?”

“Aye, sir!”

(Y/N) seemed to think of something, so she pulled Happy aside after eating.

“Hey Happy, have you been with Natsu when he visits the guildhall at all?”

“I haven’t been with him when he goes. He drops me off though.”

(Y/N) pressed her lips into a thin line and nodded, stiffly thanking him and sitting on the bed. Natsu had already gotten to sleep, but he stirred when he felt the bed dip. He lifted his arm for (Y/N) to crawl in with him, and she reluctantly did. She tried to push her suspicions away, but she couldn’t stop her mind from racing. Laying here with him felt wrong, and she didn’t know if that would ever be fixed. 

\-------

“I’m heading to the guildhall,” Natsu called from the front door. 

Something in her snapped, and a second later she was discretely following him through the streets. Her heart dropped when she spotted Lucy waving him over. Tears started to pour from her eyes, but she quickly wiped them away and continued to follow them. From what she could tell, Lucy and Natsu were joking around with each other until Lucy smacked the back of Natsu’s head in response to something he said.

She followed them around Magnolia, slipping behind buildings when they would turn around. Her head peeked out from around the corner and she squinted her eyes to get a better look. Natsu was saying something that (Y/N) couldn’t make out, and Lucy shook her head. 

Natsu led Lucy towards the well-known Natsu-Happy fishing spot, and the (H/C) haired girl quickly watched on from the bushes. She had a bad feeling, and she tried her best to stay calm, but everything changed when she saw Natsu kiss the celestial wizard’s cheek before swinging his arm around her shoulders. Lucy giggled at whatever the fire mage had said. (Y/N) couldn’t believe it. After everything? Three years they had been dating. Four years Lucy and her had been friends. And this happens? She couldn’t contain her tears anymore, and she choked for breath, emitting a very audible sniffle. Natsu and Lucy looked behind them to find the source of the sound, and both of their faces dropped when they saw the crying girl. 

“(Y/N)--”

“Don’t!”

She spun around and ran back towards the town. She could hear Natsu calling out for her, but she refused to stop. He caught up to her a few minutes later, and she was grabbed from behind, one of his arms wrapped around her stomach to prevent her from breaking free. She squirmed in his grasp, but she couldn’t escape. 

“Let me go!”

“Please (N/N).”

“Don’t call me that,” she hissed. “Three years! Three! And you do this?!”

“(Y/N)--”

“And you know what? I knew that something was going on because I kept going to the guildhall to see you and you were never there. You even left Happy there without you so you could sneak off!”

Lucy had finally caught up and went to talk when (Y/N) cut her off.

“And you! Forget about three years. Four years! You’re supposed to be my best friend, remember? Or did that all go out the window when you guys started doing this? How long has this been going on?”

“(Y/N)--”

“And don’t you dare fucking lie to me.”

Lucy spoke up, revealing that it had started a few months ago. (Y/N) continued to squirm. She reached her foot back and roughly stepped on his foot. Natsu winced, but refused to let go.

_“Let me go right now!”_

“I’m not letting go.”

(Y/N) kicked backwards and slammed her foot into his groin, causing him to drop to the ground, his arms losing his grip on her. Natsu groaned as he tried to pick himself up.

“I’ll be gone before you come back home. Don’t look for me.”

“(N/N), can you at least--”

“Don’t talk to me, Lucy.”

“But--”

“Just don’t.”

(Y/N) ignored Lucy’s call for her and continued back to the house that she would soon leave. Her bags were quickly packed, and she wasted no time on boarding the train. Crocus would be where she would find her new home. And she wouldn’t be looking back. She would write a letter to the rest of Fairy Tail saying her goodbyes, but she wouldn’t be going back there any time soon.


	80. Cheater!Natsu x Reader: Sneak (Happy Ending) [requested]

_“I’m heading to the guildhall,” Natsu called from the front door._

_Something in her snapped, and a second later she was discretely following him through the streets. Her heart dropped when she spotted Lucy waving him over. Tears started to pour from her eyes, but she quickly wiped them away and continued to follow them. From what she could tell, Lucy and Natsu were joking around with each other until Lucy smacked the back of Natsu’s head in response to something he said._

(Y/N) followed them to the center of town, and she raised her eyebrow when they turned into a shop. Once they were inside, the (H/C) haired girl shuffled over to the front window. 

“Woah,” she breathed. 

Inside the shop was an array of different jewelry, all sparkling under the light of the lacrima lining the store. She spotted Natsu and Lucy standing by who (Y/N) assumed to be the owner. Lucy kept pointing towards different pieces, and Natsu would shake his head before looking at the next choice. 

They had eventually moved away from the display case, and (Y/N)’s heart sped up when she saw that they were looking at rings.

“Holy shit!”

She started energetically hopping in the street, but quickly ducked when she saw the pair turn around. A shit-eating grin was present on her face as she snuck away and returned to the house. (Y/N) started to laugh at herself, and she flopped onto the bed, letting out a huge breath of relief as her mind cleared. 

A couple hours later, Natsu returned home, followed closely by Happy. He laughed when he spotted her stretched out across the bed.

“Have a good day?” He teased. 

“Definitely. What about you? What did you do today?” She asked, fully well knowing the answer.

“Nothing much. Hung out at the guild all day basically.”

“That sounds exciting,” she joked back. 

Natsu took hold of (Y/N)’s hands and pulled her up so that she was sitting on the bed. He leaned down so they were face to face and kissed her forehead.

“You seem a lot happier today. Was everything okay yesterday?”

“Oh, uh,” (Y/N) stuttered, “I’m getting my period.”

Natsu’s face scrunched up and he started walking away, leaving (Y/N) to laugh at his reaction. He returned a minute later and tossed a container at her. She caught it before it could hit the floor and gave him a questioning look. 

“It’s (favorite food). You get grumpy on day two.”

(Y/N) rolled her eyes and thanked him, opening it up and nibbling on the food. 

“So I was thinking that we could go out to eat tonight,” Natsu casually stated. 

“Are you sure? I took out some fish.”

“I really think we should go out,” he pressed. 

(Y/N) furrowed her eyebrows, but it clicked right before she responded again. 

“Okay,” she chirped. “We can always have fish tomorrow.”

\-------

They sat down at their usual booth at (Y/N)’s favorite restaurant, and (Y/N) happily ate her dessert after she finished her dinner. Natsu cleared his throat and took one of her hands. 

“Yes?”

“Uh, listen. I have to tell you something.”

(Y/N) sat up straight and asked him to go on, excitement bubbling in her stomach. 

“I don’t really know how to say this, but I don’t think we should date anymore.”

Her face immediately fell, all of her excitement being replaced by potent sorrow. 

“W-What?”

“Yeah, I mean you’re really great, and I really love you a lot, but--”

(Y/N) narrowed her eyes and gripped her thigh as she tried to prevent tears from spilling. 

“I guess what I’m trying to say is that we should like, start engaging?”

“...What?”

“Yeah you know, engaging.”

“Are you breaking up with me or proposing to me? Because right now you have me very confused and anxious.”

“Oh! No I’m definitely not breaking up with you,” he laughed. “I’m actually trying to propose, and it’s not working I guess.”

“No kidding,” she muttered. “You scared me.”

Natsu nervously laughed and rubbed the back of his head. He took a box out of his pocket and slid it over to her.

“This box, if you choose to accept it,” Natsu joked, mimicking the different game shows that they would watch on the movie lacrima, “will bind you to me forever.”

“No take backs?”

“Absolutely no take backs.”

(Y/N) stood up and made her way over to the pink haired wizard’s side, hugging him tightly. Natsu turned his head to kiss her temple before yanking her into his side of the booth. She let out a small squeak, but Natsu caught her before she could fall. 

“You need to work on your proposing skills, Dragneel.”

Natsu grinned wide and laughed, saying that he didn’t feel the need to practice anymore.

“I’m already with the one person I would want to propose to.”


	81. Natsu x Lactose Intolerant!Reader: Adjustment [requested]

After a year of dating, Natsu had made the next move and asked (Y/N) to move in with him and Happy. Everything seemed to be going smoothly. That is, until (Y/N) reminded him of one thing: dietary restrictions. You see, (Y/N) is lactose intolerant, and Natsu was the farthest thing from that. He could freely eat any food he wanted, but (Y/N) had to be careful. If she ingested anything containing lactose, her whole stomach would turn, and there would be many cases of vomit. So it was, of course, best that she just stay away from the red flag foods. 

Natsu was, unsurprisingly, struggling to remember this little detail. And it was very important that he did. 

“Nothing with lactose.”

“Cheese?”

“No.”

“Milk?”

“Nope.”

“Ice cream?”

“No, Natsu.”

“What kind of life do you live?” Natsu questioned, concerned. 

“Natsu,” (Y/N) laughed, “I’m lactose intolerant. As long as I stay away from food that contains lactose then I’m fine.”

“I can’t believe you can’t eat ice cream. That’s horrible.”

(Y/N) rolled her eyes and flicked his forehead, eliciting a small ‘ow’ from the dragon slayer. 

“It’s not that bad once you get used to it.”

“How am I gonna remember all this stuff?” He screamed, pulling his hair. 

\-------

It was moving day, and Natsu had just finished hauling all of (Y/N)’s stuff out of her apartment and into the house. (Y/N) thanked him for his help and flopped down in the living room, giving a playful ‘I’m tired’ which earned her a scoff from the sweating dragon slayer. 

“I just wanna nap.”

“So go nap,” (Y/N) giggled. “I’m certainly not stopping you. I can unpack my kitchen stuff while you do.”

Natsu grabbed her hand and shook his head as he started to tug her further into the house. He jumped onto the bed and pulled her down so she fell on the mattress. 

“You’re taking a nap with me. Then we can unpack.”

“Deal.”

\-------

(Y/N) heard clanging from the kitchen, and she darted out of bed to face whatever intruder had broken in. She swiftly kicked the intruder in the stomach, and it was only then that she realized it was Natsu. Loud groans escaped him, and he held his stomach where her foot made contact.

“Sorry Natsu. I forgot that I’m not in my apartment anymore.”

“And here I was trying to make you breakfast,” he sassed. 

(Y/N) took a look at the pans on the stove and smiled when she saw the different breakfast foods. Natsu was quick to recover once a small ‘ding’ caught his attention. He quickly plated the food and handed her plate over to her. (Y/N)’s eyes landed on the food and she sighed before handing it back over to him.

“I can’t eat this.”

“What? Why not?”

“I can’t eat pancakes.”

“Seriously?”

“Yeah. The batter makes me sick.”

Natsu groaned and quickly took the pancakes off her plate and swallowed them whole. 

“I still can’t eat this Natsu.”

“Is it because the pancake touched it? I can make you another plate.”

“I can’t eat these sausages either.”

“Wha--sausages? Since when do they--”

“Some contain it, so it’s just safer that I don’t eat them unless I actually look at the ingredients.”

Natsu sighed and dumped her food onto his own plate and set it down on the table. He asked her what she usually has for breakfast, and (Y/N) gave him a quick rundown of the different options she chose from. 

“I’ll get it. Just you watch.”

\-------

(Y/N) laid on the bed on her back and bent her knees as she looked up at the ceiling. Natsu had gone out shopping, which is something she offered to do with him, especially to make sure that there would be food for her to eat, but he insisted on going alone. The (H/C) haired girl settled on giving him a list and trusting his ability to read. 

Natsu struggled to open the door, and Happy had to help him turn the knob. The dragon slayer blindly walked, relying on his muscle memory of the routes he took from the front door to the kitchen. He had successfully made it to the fridge. (Y/N) popped her head into the room and stretched before joining him in the kitchen. Natsu held up the foods that (Y/N) had told him to pick up and puffed his chest. (Y/N) rolled her eyes, but she still leaned up to give him a quick kiss. 

“You’re getting better, Dragneel.”

“He had a list to help him, too!” Happy teased. 

Natsu huffed and crossed his arms, starting to mumble incoherent phrases. (Y/N) started to rummage through the rest of the bags and pulled out the almond milk, bananas and peanut butter. 

“Whatcha making, (N/N)?” Happy questioned. 

“Peanut butter and banana smoothie.”

Natsu followed his nose over to the jar of peanut butter and grabbed a spoonful. (Y/N) rolled her eyes, reminding him of the big breakfast of waffles, bacon, sausage and eggs that he had right before he left for the market. 

\-------

“Teach me how to make this stuff. I feel horrible waking you up and serving you an orange for breakfast in bed.”

(Y/N) laughed and said that she still thought it was sweet, but she complied and pulled him into the kitchen. She spent the next hour briefly going over the recipes that she prepared on a regular basis, and she gave him ideas of which foods to pair together. Natsu grinned and pushed her out of the kitchen, telling her to go relax while he made something. 

“Are you sure?” 

Natsu made a ‘shoo’ motion, saying that he needed the practice anyway. She reluctantly left the kitchen and joined Happy on the couch. They joked around for a while before Natsu presented her with what seemed to be some sort of cake.

“What’s that?” Happy spoke, staring intently at the dish.

“Blueberry oat cake!”

(Y/N) smiled wide and grabbed a fork, ready to try what looked to be a very tasty dish. She ate a piece, and she let out a contented breath as she overdramatically tapped her stomach. Natsu set the cake off to the side and joined her on the couch, pulling her to his side and kissing the side of her head. She seemed to doze off for a little bit, but about forty five minutes later, she darted from the couch to the bathroom. Natsu jolted awake from the sudden movement, having also fallen asleep. 

“(Y/N)?”

He walked over to the bathroom to see that she was leaning over the toilet. 

“Are you okay?”

“No,” she choked. “Are you positive you made that completely...lactose free?” 

“I used the milk that was on the top shelf and blueberries, oats--”

“The oatmilk is on the door,” she forced out before coughing into the toilet again. 

Natsu’s face dropped and he crouched next to her, gently rubbing her back as she whined. 

“I’m so sorry.”

“It’s okay, Natsu. You didn’t mean it. But I really need the bathroom by myself right now.”

“Are you sure you don’t want me to stay here?”

He was answered with a liquid growl from her stomach. Natsu let out a quiet ‘oh’ before quickly shutting the door and retreating into the living room. 

\--------

“Okay, after yesterday’s little mishap, I’ve decided to stay under your watch while I cook for a little while longer. I also labelled everything so I can clearly see what I’m using.”

Natsu displayed the ingredients for the zucchini pasta he was going to make, and after getting approval, he kicked her out of the kitchen again. A little while later, Natsu called her and Happy over to the kitchen and handed them plates of food. (Y/N) took one last look at the pile of ingredients sitting on the counter and slowly took a bite. Her eyes lit up, and she praised his cooking. The dragon slayer smiled victoriously. 

“And now we wait,” Happy chirped. “Hopefully this time (Y/N) won’t get explosive diarrhea--”

“Happy!” Said girl shouted, embarrassment coating her cheeks. 

Natsu and Happy cackled and poked her cheeks to tease her more. 

“You two are so mean,” she muttered. 

“It’s because we love you,” Natsu responded. “Besides, it’s a staple in this house.”

A few hours passed, and (Y/N) didn’t feel uncomfortable, showing that Natsu didn’t mess up. She cuddled into him on the couch and wrapped her arms around him. Natsu picked her up and carried her over to the bed and set her down before leaving the room.

“Where’re you going?”

“Happy and I are eating ice cream. You’re not invited.”

“Wha--hey! I can have dairy free ice cream you know!”

“Nope!” Natsu playfully denied, covering his ears to block out her protests. 

(Y/N) huffed and crossed her arms as she sat on the bed. 

“You two are mean!” She called out.

“You know what else is mean? Those massive shits and potent puke.”

“Happy!”


	82. Natsu x Mentor!Reader: Mountain [requested]

Fairy Tail was calm and quiet. Unnervingly quiet. Natsu had been so focused that he had completely forgotten to cause trouble in the guildhall. Not that anyone was complaining. 

“So anyway,” Natsu redirected his conversation, “I’m gonna get stronger. Just you watch.”

“Why do you want to get stronger so bad?” Lucy questioned. “You seem more determined than ever before.”

“It’s so I can beat Gildarts. I’m gonna pay him back for the Tenrou match!”

Happy landed on Natsu’s head and cheered him on, saying that he would definitely find a way. The dragon slayer waved the guild off and started towards his house. His bags were quickly packed, and he made sure to grab all the necessary items that he would need on his journey. 

“What’s your plan, Natsu?”

“I dunno. I’ll probably just camp out in the mountains and start training there. I’m gonna try to perfect my Flame Blade.”

He set off, Happy in tow, and made his way towards the outskirts of Magnolia. Riding the train was simply not an option, so he decided to go on foot. 

“This is gonna be so cool,” Natsu shouted. “I’ll so beat Gildarts after this.”

\-------

It was three days later, and Natsu wasn’t making any major progress on his own. He had started to work on the power of his Roar, and he was able to direct it in a more focused manner. That was, unfortunately, about all he was able to accomplish. 

“This is so stupid,” he muttered. “It should be easy.”

“It’s because you’re not working on the right things,” came a voice that caused both Happy and Natsu to jump. 

Natsu’s head whipped around to see who was behind him, and his eyes landed on a girl with (H/C) hair. Her hands were placed firmly on her hips as she leaned on one foot. They watched each other carefully, both trying to test the other’s first move. The dragon slayer took a step forward, and the girl mirrored his actions, (E/C) eyes daring him to continue. 

“Who are you?”

“Well who are you?”

Natsu shouted, “I asked you first!”

“My name doesn’t concern you. What are you doing in my mountains?”

“Since when are they your mountains?” He countered. 

“Tell me, boy, how old are you?”

“Uh, like 18? I dunno. I was frozen for like seven years, so who knows at this point.”

“Frozen?” The girl repeated. “That’s very interesting, but you are not eighteen.”

“What are you talking about? How the heck would you know?”

“You have an old soul masked with immaturity. Though I guess it doesn’t matter. Now what are you doing here?”

“Training, duh.”

“Well you’re not doing it correctly. You need to focus on what you need to improve on, not just what would make you stronger. You see, while I may not possess a dragon slayer’s magic, I do understand fire.”

“You’re a fire wizard too?” 

“You need to work on your formation. It’s very peculiar and unproductive.”

“Well if you know so much then why don’t you show me?” Natsu suggested, sarcasm lacing his words. 

“I don’t teach wizards.”

“That makes no sense! Just train me already. I need to get stronger so I can eat Gildarts.”

“Gildarts?”

“I gotta beat him.”

The girl started walking away, promoting Natsu to start shouting after her. She turned around and waved to him to follow her. A grin made its way onto Natsu's face, and he quickly did so. They started walking further up the mountain, which meant, logically, that the air became thinner. The girl seemed unphased by the change, and Natsu thanked his fire magic for warming his body enough to combat the lack of air. Once they stopped, Natsu could see a small cave covered by snowy trees. 

“Uh, what’s this?”

“Home. Get inside so you can breathe again. The air gets thin out here, and even if you’re a fire wizard, you still need oxygen.”

Natsu followed her, ducking under the icicles that dripped in front of the entrance. He looked around, spotting a small couch, a bunch of lacrima lining the edges of the room, a bunch of fish shoved in a pile of snow, and a couple blankets. Overall, it was small and empty. 

“You live here?”

“It’s best to train when surrounded by conditions that force you to be vigilant.”

“When do I start?” He eagerly spoke. 

“Tomorrow.”

“What?! But it’s not even noon yet. We have plenty of time to—”

“It’s time for my nap,” she answered, bored. 

“A nap? Seriously? What about training?”

“We can do that tomorrow. After my nap I like to walk around, and then dinner follows.”

Natsu sighed and walked over to the fish pile, grabbing one and using his fire to cook it. The girl’s eyes twitched, aggravated that he had taken some of her food, but she said nothing, opting to step into the corner of the cave and grab some blankets to wrap herself in. 

\-------

“Can we start training now?”

“Of course. Just after I go for my afternoon walk.”

“You keep putting it off! First you had to go get breakfast--”

“Which you didn’t mind at all, might I add.”

“And then you went for a walk and disappeared for over an hour. Then you took a nap and started to pace inside the cave. And now you want to go for another walk!”

“Not my fault you don’t like following my schedule.”

Natsu let out an aggravated scream and dropped down to the snow beneath him. The girl raised her eyebrow, but turned back around and started her walk away from him. Natsu caught sight of this and quickly got up and rushed to her side. 

“What are you doing?”

“I’m coming for the walk so that we can start training the second you’re done.”

“Fine, but I like climbing, and you can only breathe up to a certain point. I like going to the peaks.”

Natsu looked uncertain, but his desire to get stronger pushed his worry aside, and he jogged to catch up to the now departing girl. They walked in silence for a little, Natsu trying to focus his magic to a point where it would help him during their climb.

“You never even told me your name,” Natsu brought up.

“Neither did you.”

“Natsu.”

“(Y/N). Now hurry up. I want to get to the peak before the hour is up.”

Natsu groaned and continued to follow her until he felt like he was going to pass out. 

“I told you that you would have difficulties. Now go back down before you suffocate.”

“I’m...not leav...ing until you train me.”

“Fine. Let’s go back to where you can breathe. You’re very stubborn.”

The two returned to the cave, and (Y/N) growled when she saw that Happy was sitting on her pile of snow and eating multiple fish. 

“What do you think you’re doing, cat?”

“I was hungry and this fish is really yummy.”

(Y/N) rolled her eyes and stepped into the far corner of the cave, grabbing her wooden rod and pushing Natsu outside. The dragon slayer looked at the staff curiously and tried to guess what she was doing with it, but she gave no hints until they descended to a lower point in the mountain. (Y/N) guided him to a flat area and stuck the staff into the snow. 

“You’re to burn the staff without melting the snow.”

“And how the heck do you want me to do that?! It’s fire. It’s obviously gonna--”

Before Natsu could finish, the staff burst into flames and sparks started to lift into the sky. Natsu’s mouth hung open as he watched the untouched snow.

“How’re you doing that?” He excitedly spoke. “You gotta teach me that.”

“That’s the whole point,” she deadpanned. 

Natsu set the staff on fire, and unlike when (Y/N) did it, the snow around the staff melted. The whole he created in the snow spanned a couple meters in diameter, leaving the staff to fall over from the lack of support provided from the surrounding snow. Natsu let out a loud groan and walked over to the staff, sticking it in another pile of snow and trying again. The same thing happened, so Natsu moved the staff again. He did it again, and the snow melted. For two hours, he had tried; and for two hours, the staff fell over once the snow disappeared. 

“What am I doing wrong?!”

“You need to learn to control the power at which you use, as well as the aim of your fire.”

“This is stupid.”

“We can stop if you want, but you won’t get stronger.”

Natsu grumbled under his breath and started pacing before he stopped and stared the (H/C) haired girl down.

“Fight me.”

“Excuse me? You’re supposed to be training.”

“I improve more when I fight.”

(Y/N) sighed and tossed the staff to the side and crossed her arms. 

“I’ll give you five minutes. If you fail to land a hit on me in that time, you will go back to control training and you can’t complain about my schedule.”

Natsu grinned wide and gave a thumbs up before preparing to start the match. (Y/N) gave him the go ahead, and Natsu went to lunge at her. The girl snapped her fingers and a huge wall of fire shot out in front of her to make a barricade. Natsu stepped back and gave a cocky smile before he started to eat it. 

“Ah,” (Y/N) started, “so as a dragon slayer you are able to consume your element. Interesting. I will put a stop to that.”

(Y/N) called off the flames before snapping with her other hand, causing the fire to appear behind Natsu. Natsu rolled his eyes and repeated her conclusion back to her and started to eat the fire. His mouth burned, his stomach twisted, and his knees gave out. He made contact with the snow below him as he choked for air. 

“It’s not regular fire, wizard. You need to learn to not rely on your stomach during a fight. Now get up and continue the match. You have three minutes left.”

Natsu placed both his hands on the snow as he continued to struggle for breath. (Y/N) leaned her weight on one foot with her hands on her hips. 

“Get up.”

The dragon slayer took in a deep breath and forced himself to his feet, letting out another loud cough. He swayed a bit, but his eyes were filled with determination. His fist lit and he rushed at her again. (Y/N) held out her palm and shot a burst of fire from it, knocking Natsu in the stomach. 

“You won’t even let me get near you!”

“That’s the point. You’re supposed to find a way.”

Natsu continued to grumble under his breath as he complained. The five minutes quickly expired, and (Y/N) gave a small but smug smile towards the dragon slayer. She picked up the wooden staff from its place tossed off to the side and shoved it into his hands. 

“Practice.”

“This is so stupid,” he muttered. “Why can’t you just train me? I’m not gonna learn anything from this stupid stick.”

“You’ll learn control. Fire is a very dangerous and untamed element, so you need to have control over your flames before you strengthen them. People might get hurt otherwise. I assume you have friends. Do you want them to suffer because you think learning control is boring?”

Natsu sighed and shoved the staff back into the snow, closing his eyes in concentration and lighting the wood on fire. He screamed when it fell over. 

\-------

It had been a month, and Natsu had started to make progress in his exercises. He was able to control the staff exercise over half the time, and he had gone through countless other lessons. The intensity of their training increased every week, and Natsu felt that his flames were more potent than before. 

“You’re doing it wrong again.”

The pink haired wizard scoffed and threw his backpack to the side. 

He crossed his arms and sassed, “Well then how would you like me to do it?”

“The way I showed you,” she drawled. “Circular, Natsu. You can’t just stand there and expect the fire to move around you if you don’t provide the momentum.”

Natsu closed his eyes and breathed in deeply before spinning his arms around, his flames following suit. (Y/N) gave an unnoticed smile when the flames started to expand. The snow around them started to melt, and (Y/N) waved his spell off. 

“You’re getting better. Let’s take a break. I’m tired.”

“Wha-no! You just had a nap!”

“Are you complaining again, Dragneel?”

Fire sparked in her fists and she glared at him. After a month of facing her wrath, Natsu had learned to not back down from her challenges. So he returned her hard glare, making them both trying to stare each other down into submission. (Y/N) quirked an eyebrow at his challenge.

“Oh? Is that how you want to play this?”

“We’re training. You can rest later.”

“I would like to rest now.”

“No! You said you’d train me today.”

“I did.”

Natsu huffed and spun around, walking back up the slope and flopping in the corner of the cave. Happy was sitting on top of the fish pile, happily eating whatever fish he could get his paws on. (Y/N) appeared a few seconds later, and she made her way over to where she slept. 

“You can’t seriously be taking another nap.”

“Resting my eyes,” she quickly corrected. 

“Yeah, okay, sure.”

\-------

“Again.”

“How the heck do you expect me to keep doing this? There’s not gonna be any more snow if you make me do it again.”

“This is a mountain, Natsu. It snows almost every day up here. Now quit stalling.”

“Fire Dragon’s Roasting Bath!”

Steam started to burn from Natsu, and the surrounding snow around him started to melt into water and boil over. Natsu could feel his whole body heating up to a newly found temperature, and he saw that he had managed to melt about thirty meters in all directions. 

“Good.”

“That’s all you’re gonna say?” Natsu shouted. “I just melted half this slope and all I get is ‘good’ from you?”

“Very good.”

Natsu glared at her before moving further down the mountain and activating the same spell again, the snow boiling over once again. 

“I think we can call it a day on this spell.”

“What? Why? I’m just getting started.”

(Y/N) pointed up the slope, showing that the snow had all melted as far as their sight could reach. 

“You’re running out of snow, and we would have to wait until it starts snowing tonight for it to replenish.”

“Told you we’d run out,” he mumbled.

\-------

In the three months that Natsu had begun his training with (Y/N), he had not known a lot about his mysterious teacher. Her aura was unnerving to the dragon slayer, but he couldn’t pinpoint why. 

“Hey Natsu,” Happy started, “do you think she’ll let us smoke the fish tonight?”

Natsu looked over towards the back corner of the cave, his eyes landing on the sleeping girl. He sighed and placed his hands behind his head before leaning back against the snowbank by the couch. 

“That’s if she even wakes up.”

“Of course I will wake up,” (Y/N) suddenly interjected. “What kind of statement is that?”

“You’re always sleeping! You said we could go further up the mountain today.”

(Y/N) twisted around in her “bed” (which was, unsurprisingly, a small pile of snow and a couple of blankets) and faced the dragon slayer. She quickly sat up and rolled out of the blankets to stand up. 

“Are you up for the air today? You struggled last time.”

“I’m getting better,” Natsu defended.

(Y/N) rolled her eyes and waved goodbye to Happy, who was, as (Y/N) had found out, incapable of breathing at all past the few meters above the cave. Natsu started to trek through the snow, grabbing his scarf to cover his mouth, trying to keep his breaths controlled. (Y/N) would look back often to gauge his condition. He had passed out a couple times in the previous trips they had taken, but he refused to be left behind. 

Once they reached their stopping point, (Y/N) turned to the boy and instructed, “You have five minutes. Try to attack me.”

“But--”

“Is there a problem?”

“...No.”

“Good. Fight me until the time is up or you run out of oxygen.”

“You know, you could at least pretend to care about my safety.”

“You followed me up here. Now deal with the consequences. The time starts now.”

Natsu filled his lungs with the thin air before his fist roughly made contact with the ground. Pillars of fire started to sprout around his teacher, and he was able to trap her inside the barricade. He sprinted towards the fire and stood in the only opening, further cornering her inside. His Roar was called on, and he quickly moved his head along with her quick evasions. (Y/N) held out her hand, and fire shot out of her palms, much like the many times they had sparred. It was her go to spell to make him back off, but Natsu stayed where he stood. Natsu gave a smug smile and stepped closer to her, casting his Flame Elbow. Just before it hit, the timer went off, signalling the end of the five minute limit. 

It was (Y/N)’s turn to hold the smug smile.

\-------

“So what made you live up here anyway?”

“Well for starters, the cold temperature deters unnecessary visitors. Only the stupid dare to come this far up the mountain.”

“Hey!”

“Besides, I’m not too fond of interacting with people.”

“How long have you been up here?”

“About fifty years. I really should’ve done it long ago, but it was a recent discovery.”

“Wait. You’re fifty?! I thought you were nineteen.”

“I am. I’ve just been nineteen for a hundred and fifty years.”

“WHAT?”

“I’m immortal, Natsu. We’ve been over this.”

“I thought you said you liked coral,” was his quiet response. 

(Y/N) sighed loudly and brushed herself off before walking over to the sleeping exceed. 

“Cat, please move from the fish pile.”

She was met with small snores, so she picked him up by his pouch and set him on the couch before she returned to the pile and picked up a couple of fish.

“Cook them,” she simply demanded. 

“You’re pushy.”

“You’re stubborn.”

\-------

“Natsu, we’ve been gone for five months,” Happy reminded. “Don’t you think we should go back?”

Said dragon slayer looked up to the sky, taking in the small snowflakes that floated around him. His eyes then landed on the opening of the cave where (Y/N) had left. 

“Do you think she’s gonna be lonely?” Happy asked. 

“I’ll be fine, cat. I’ve been alone for years. This won’t bother me.”

Both of the Fairy Tail members jumped in surprise at (Y/N)’s sudden comment. Natsu turned around to see that she was holding an armful of fish. She shuffled over to the pile and stuck them in the snow. 

“You may leave. Your training is officially over.”

“But--”

“You’ve been training for five months. There is not much else you can do. Return.”

“You said you were gonna show me a really cool spell!” Natsu shouted. “You can’t just quit now.”

“I’ve changed my mind. You won’t be able to use the spell anyway. You’re not strong enough.”

“How would you even know if you haven’t taught it to me yet? You’re acting like I’m some weak child.”

“You may be strong, but you are weak at the same time. You are not ready. Now shoo.”

Natsu growled and grabbed his backpack, quickly strapping it onto his back and stomping out of the cave. He didn’t talk the rest of the way down the slope, which made Happy speak up.

“Natsu, don’t you think we should say goodbye? Or maybe offer to bring her home?”

“No way. If she wants to be lonely so bad then let her.”

Happy took one last look at the mountain before following Natsu towards the direction of Magnolia. 

\-------

“Where have you been, pyro?”

“What did you just say?!”

“But seriously,” Erza interrupted, “where have you been? It’s been five months.”

Happy answered for him, saying, “We went up in the mountains and met this really strong lady. She helped Natsu train and now he’s really strong!”

“What’s someone doing living up in the mountains like that?”

“She hates people and she’s a pain in the ass.”

Happy looked at Natsu in shock before landing on his head.

“But Natsu, you said you really liked her.”

“Five months we trained, and she still calls me weak. I totally had her the last time we sparred. And I’ve learned some really powerful spells and she still refuses to acknowledge my progress. So yeah, a pain in the ass and a jerk.”

“Can we see your new spells?”

“No.”

And with that, Natsu exited the guildhall and made his way home.

\-------

It had been a month, and Natsu was still complaining about his teacher. That is, until he heard an announcement from Makarov.

“There’s a rumor of another group of assassins that is hunting in the mountains. I would advise everyone to stay away. The members of the Magic Council have been looking into the matters.”

“What mountains?”

“The ones towards Crocus.”

Natsu’s stomach twisted at the revelation. You see, no matter how angry he had been when he left, his mind refused to erase all the time they had spent together. He remembered every day that she had been with him, every lesson she had taught him, all her playful criticisms. It’s true: he had grown stronger. But another truth surfaced: he felt the need to protect her, even if he knew she could handle herself. So, Natsu did what his heart had told him to do.

Everyone called after Natsu as he bolted through the doors of the guildhall. 

\-------

Happy had darted after his friend and arrived at the edge of town. 

“Natsu! Wait up!”

The exceed was able to catch up to him before Natsu could get out of sight. They quickly ran on foot, concluding that Natsu’s motion sickness would just slow them down. Panic started to bubble when he saw multiple sets of footprints in the direction of (Y/N)’s home. Natsu’s eyes narrowed and he started to follow the footprints up the slope. 

He caught sight of the cave a few minutes later. It was empty, which increased his worry. He sniffed around, but the cold air was interfering with his nose. All he could smell was the sharp cold. The two Fairy Tail members whipped their heads around when they heard a loud bang further up the mountain. 

“Dammit.”

The pink haired mage followed the noise, and his eyes eventually landed her familiar form. She was facing away from him as she watched a man that stood a couple meters in front of her. 

“What is your purpose here?”

“Isn’t it obvious?” The man laughed. “I came to--”

“Not you. I obviously know what you’re after. I was talking to someone that shouldn’t be here.”

She looked over her shoulder and prompted Natsu to explain himself.

“How did you even--”

“I’ve learned ways to sense visitors over the years. You give off a very distinct aura. It’s one that you try to avoid.”

“Wha--hey! I came here to help you! The least you could do is put off insulting me until these guys are dealt with.”

“Very well. Deal with them.”

“...Where are you going?”

“To take my nap. They’ve interrupted my schedule.”

Natsu’s muffled screams were heard, frustration clear in them. He huffed when he saw the small smile on her face, but she turned around and started to walk away before he could say anything. She didn’t get far, as another man had trapped her path.

“Do you humans mind? I’m very tired.”

“Good. That means that you’ll be easy to defeat.”

(Y/N) sighed before catching the man’s arm as he aimed to slam it down on her. She held his arm out between them. Her hand caught fire, and the man started to scream from the immediate burning. Natsu looked over his shoulder to see her fight and turned back to the man that stood in front of him, cracking his knuckles and smiling devilishly. He slammed his fist into the snowy ground, and much like before, multiple pillars of fire shot out. His Talon followed, knocking the man into the snow. 

Meanwhile, (Y/N) had been faced with a group of eight men. She groaned and placed her palms out in front of her, a whip of fire forming in her hands. The whip clung onto one man’s feet, and he was flung into the other, knocking them all off the slope. Moments later, all of the men were defeated. Natsu turned his attention back to (Y/N) and approached her.

“See? I can totally...did you just KO eight guys at once?”

“Yes. You took too long dealing with a single man, and I want to nap, so I got rid of them all.”

Natsu rolled his eyes, but a wide grin spread onto his face. 

“I did pretty good, eh?”

“It was acceptable.”

Natsu went to complain, but he saw her smile, which caused him to let out a breath of relief. 

“Now what are you doing so far from your home? Surely you didn’t come up to the mountains just because these men were here.”

“Uh, well, I kinda did actually.”

“And why?”

“Well it’s obviously so I could show you my super cool moves,” he joked. 

“Welcome back, Natsu. But I doubt you’re here to stay, so why don’t you get back to your guild.”

Happy had finally arrived by Natsu’s side, and he dropped onto Natsu’s head and struggled for breath.

“Did we win?” He spoke between pants. 

Natsu gave a thumbs up, and (Y/N) scolded the exceed and told him to get back to an altitude that he could breathe in. They all returned to the cave, Happy and Natsu automatically going for the fish pile. (Y/N) sat down on the couch and closed her eyes. She felt the couch dip when Natsu sat down next to her, so she cracked her eyes open. His eyes held hers for a few seconds before she looked away. 

“I have an idea,” Natsu spoke suddenly.

“That’s very dangerous.”

Natsu gave (Y/N) a blank look before continuing, “Anyway, I was thinking that you could come back to Magnolia and--”

“No.”

“You didn’t even let me finish,” he mumbled. “Come on, it’ll be fun. There’s a lot of wizards there that you can beat up. I’m sure you and Laxus could fight, and Gildarts is probably on your level, but he’s barely around. You could even spar with Gramps. It’ll be great. You gotta come.”

“I don’t like people.”

“Fairy Tail wizards aren’t like normal people. We’re more fun. Besides, I still want to get stronger, and you’re the only one I can think of who can help me.”

“I still don’t--”

“There’s a great fishing spot there. And you can get a room in Fairy Hills and have an actual bed and room.”

\-------

Another chair came flying over to the bar, and it was quickly reduced to ash. Makarov sighed and looked over at the newest member. 

“I swear. They’re not always like this.”

“What are you talking about, Gramps?” Laxus questioned. “They’re literally always like this.”

“What the hell did I get myself into?” (Y/N) moaned. 

Another piece of furniture flew towards them, and that too was set on fire. She glared at the crowd of fighting wizards, burning holes into their soul. Natsu somehow escaped the brawl that he had started and joined (Y/N) at the bar.

“So I was thinking that you could help me with that spell soon. I think that’d be really cool.”

“You’re not ready.”

“What the heck are you talking about? You said I was yesterday.”

“I wish to have a nap first.”

“Oh come on!”


	83. Cheater!Natsu x Reader: Sneak (Bad Ending) Part 2 [requested]

It had been about three years since Fairy Tail had last heard from (Y/N), and everyone would be lying if they said that they didn’t miss her presence. The days when she would come into the guildhall and joke around with everyone seemed like distant memories by now. And it killed everyone. Two people were, however, more severely affected than the rest of them. And Fairy Tail found it difficult to pity the pair.

Since (Y/N)’s departure, Natsu had been falling apart. He admitted it: he was an absolute idiot. The three years that they had spent with each other were ruined by a series of bad choices, and that killed him. To make matters worse, Lucy and him didn’t even work out. They officially went out for a grand total of three months before they broke it off. Whether it was the guilt or simply because they didn’t blend together was still up in the air. 

Fairy Tail hated seeing their friends hurt. But that also included (Y/N). Everyone missed her. The way that her (E/C) eyes lit up when she spotted Levy reading a new book. Her sighs when Natsu and Gray started to bicker. The little laugh when she saw Erza step in between the two wizards. Everything felt...empty.

The day that (Y/N) had left, Natsu rushed home from the forest. But it was too late. He had not been able to catch her before the train left, and he had no idea where she could’ve gone. The next week was spent trying to look for her, but even his nose could not find her. Once he returned to his house, he stood in the middle of the room, fists clenched and tears rolling down his cheeks. It wasn’t until he spotted a note on the bed that he moved. 

_Natsu,  
The three years that we spent together in this house brings back so many memories. Unfortunately, I don’t think I can take them anymore. All I can say is that you’ve made your choice, and I’m not waiting around for you to make up your mind about who to commit yourself to. Tell Happy I said goodbye. I left him some fish in the fridge for him. I’m giving back the necklace that you gave me. It’s in the envelope. I have no use for it now. I wish you well.   
Best,  
(Y/N)_

Ever since, the dragon slayer had been a mess. He didn’t know why he did it. But he knew he regretted it. That look she gave them when she found them in the forest. Hurt, betrayed, devastated. He never wanted her to feel those emotions, especially if he had caused them. And yet, he did. It was him. And all he wanted to do was show her that it was the biggest mistake he had ever made. She was his family, and he let her slip through his fingers. 

He had no choice but to move on. Because he knew that she would never forgive him. 

“Natsu,” Happy started, “do you think we’ll be able to see that really cool fish market again?”

“That would sure be cool,” Natsu cheerily responded. 

They were on their way towards Crocus to help out with a music request. It was easy: sit and listen to a famous violinist’s set. She was renowned throughout Fiore, and she had an upcoming concert at the palace, so she enlisted the help of wizards to give her critiques. Natsu probably wasn’t the best choice, but he needed the money.

“Oh I’m so glad you could make it,” the woman greeted. “I have a couple of sets that I wanted to present and then I was hoping you would pick out the best one.”

They had listened to music for a total of three hours, and the violin echoed in Natsu’s sensitive ears for hours after. Happy and him explored Crocus and went to check into an inn when Happy screamed. Natsu jumped in surprise and covered the exceed’s mouth.

“Happy, it’s late.”

“But look!”

Natsu’s eyes followed Happy’s paw, and his eyes widened at the sight. There she was, (H/C) hair framing her face, nose scrunched up as she laughed, a bright smile on her face. Happy went to dart out to her, but Natsu quickly grabbed him by his green pouch and held him back.

“Natsu! What are you doing? I wanna say hi.”

“Happy--”

“I miss her,” he choked out as he sniffled.

Natsu sighed and let go of him, and Happy immediately crashed into (Y/N) as he flew across the street. (Y/N) let out a loud squeak, and she quickly backed up away from what she assumed to be some townsperson with no boundaries. It was Crocus afterall. People from all over came to the flower capital, bringing many, many weird people. A small gasp sounded when she took in the familiar blue and white fur.

“...Happy?”

“(Y/N)!” He shouted, crying. “I missed you so much. Have you been here all the time?”

“Yes. It’s nice to see you again, Happy.”

Happy jumped up again, floating in front of her, grabbing her hand and starting to tug her across the street.

“Happy, what’re you doing?”

“You’re coming home to Magnolia. Everyone misses you.”

“Happy, I live here now.”

It was then that the girl noticed the pink hair from a couple meters away. Natsu and (Y/N) stared at each other for a minute before (Y/N) looked off to the side.

“Um, it’s nice to see you again.”

“Have you been here this whole time?” 

“Well, yeah. I live by the arena.”

Natsu looked down to the ground, opening his mouth and shutting it multiple times. (Y/N) looked around, presumably looking for the rest of Team Natsu. When she didn’t see any of them, she concluded that he had either taken a request himself or he was, as he often was before, prone to running off without the rest of the team.

“Are you two here alone?”

“We came to listen to Melody,” Happy explained. “We never thought we’d run into you. But now you can come home.”

(Y/N)’s eyes landed back on Natsu, who had finally raised his gaze up to her.

“How have you been? How are you and Lucy?”

“Uh, we’re not. I mean, uh, it didn’t work out. Listen, I need to--”

“I’m sorry it didn’t work out. Are you leaving soon?”

“We wanted to get something to eat from the diner by the arena first!” Happy interrupted. “You should totally come. It’ll be like old times.”

The corners of (Y/N)’s mouth twitched up, but they formed a sad smile. She explained that she needed to do a job of her own. Happy insisted that she come, and (Y/N) started to laugh at his persistence. 

“I guess I could come for a short while. Come on, I’ll take you the quickest way.”

Happy cheered and landed on Natsu’s head, pushing him to follow her. Natsu snapped out of whatever trance he was in and caught up to the (H/C) haired girl. They walked through the busy roads, weaving through the abundance of people exploring the city. The two stood close, and Natsu had to stop himself from grabbing her hand on instinct. (Y/N) ushered the two inside and joined them as they sat by the window. 

“It’s nice to see you both again. How is Fairy Tail doing?”

“Everyone misses you,” Happy responded, “but that’s okay because they’re all gonna be so happy to see you again!”

“(Y/N), I wanted to say how sorry I am for--”

“It’s been three years, Natsu.”

“Yeah, and I think about what I did to you every day. I never wanted to hurt you, and I did just that. It made me realize how much I lo--”

A tap sounded against the window, and (Y/N) beamed when she saw who was standing outside. She quickly excused herself and rushed outside, tugging the person with her. He looked around before his eyes landed on Natsu and Happy. He and Natsu studied each other, Ginger hair, blue eyes, tall. 

“Natsu, this is Holt. Holt, Natsu.”

“Uh, hi?” Natsu tested. 

Holt’s eyes narrowed before he turned to (Y/N).

“Is this the guy--”

“Oh don’t worry about that right now. They came to Crocus for a job and happened to run into me. I figured I would treat them to lunch before I came to find you,” she dismissed before she joked, “but I guess you saved me some time.”

Holt hummed before leaning over to (Y/N) and kissing the top of her head. 

“Just make sure you come home on time today. I have a surprise for you.”

(Y/N)’s face lit up, much like the times that it had for Natsu. The boy took one more look at Natsu before he waved his goodbyes.

“Love you,” he casually spoke.

“Love you too. I’ll be home soon.”

And just like that, Natsu’s heart shattered into pieces that could never be repaired. (Y/N) scooted back into her seat and thanked the server when they brought out the food. Natsu stared blankly at his food, not touching anything. (Y/N) took notice and pointed her fork at him.

“You better eat, Dragneel. You’re not wasting my money,” she teased.

Natsu took in a deep breath and started the conversation he knew would make him feel worse.

“So, uh, Holt?”

“Oh! Right, I forgot that you’ve never met. He works at a weapon shop here in Crocus. He’s really good at making swords and stuff. You should see some of the things that he makes. Oh! Maybe I can convince him to let you take one back to Erza. She’d love it.”

“When did you guys meet?”

“Hmm,” she thought, “about two years ago. We started dating about a month after. We clicked really well, ya know?”

“But what about Natsu? Why did you tell that guy you love him when you love Natsu and me?” Happy asked, confused. 

(Y/N) gave a small smile and handed her plate of fish over to the exceed. He took it, happily nibbling on some fish while he waited for her answer. 

“I’ll always love you, Happy. I’ve missed you a lot.”

“What about Natsu?”

Natsu continued to push his food around with his fork, sitting in silence, trying to stop himself from screaming at himself.

“There will always be a special part in my heart for you, Natsu. We spent years together, and I can’t ever forget those memories. It’s why I moved away. But I hated myself for over a year before Holt finally made me come to my senses. I’m happy now, and you should be too. Hanging onto the past will only haunt you. I’ve learned that the hard way.”

“I’m...really sorry.”

(Y/N) set her fork down on the table and rummaged through her bag to get out the jewel. She placed the money on the table and stood up, stretching her arms as she straightened up. 

“I’ll see you around sometime. Maybe Holt and I can visit the guildhall and see everyone.”

“Uh, yeah.”

“It was nice to see you both again. I have to admit. It’s kinda weird not having all that yelling going on in the house. I’m still getting used to the fact that Holt had a dog who can’t talk. I half expect him to start flying sometimes,” she giggled. “Bye!”

And with that, (Y/N) disappeared into the crowd, leaving Natsu with the pernicious truth. She had moved on. She was happy without him.

She was gone.


	84. Singer!Natsu x Reader: Secret (Modern AU) Part 2 [requested]

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Did I write a whole ass song for a single one shot? Why yes, yes I did. I tried to play with words and it's crap, but I put WAY too much time trying to get it presentable (it's still not even close to that, but whatever) for it to get deleted. Anyway, thanks for reading!

It had been another month since their first date, and Natsu and (Y/N) would meet regularly for casual conversation in the coffee shop. The singer still hadn’t told her about who he really was, and he was starting to think that it would just be better if she never knew. He fought with himself everyday, going over the potential negative outcomes of revealing his work. 

Natsu sat with his feet draped over the armrest of his couch as he took in the deafening quiet of his empty house. He hated this house. It was way too big, way too expensive, way too empty. The frustration he felt surfaced as a shout, and Natsu became even more irritable when it echoed back at him. The singer huffed and swung his legs so he was sitting with his feet on the ground and stalked towards the music room. A hard glare was sent towards the home studio equipment that his manager had forced him to install. 

“Yeah, okay. ‘You’ll need it for times when inspiration hits’ my ass. I’m not even allowed to have an independent thought anymore.”

His eyes landed on one of his guitars and he raised his eyebrow, stepping over towards it and picking it up. The strings were cold, and by the sound of it, very out of tune. Natsu took the guitar out of the studio and made his way back towards the living room. He started plucking the strings to fix them, and he was then left with silence again. He absentmindedly strummed and hummed melodies that had been repeatedly shut down by his producers. His frown returned, and he stopped playing. 

A small ‘ding’ alerted Natsu of an incoming message, and he scoffed, thinking it was someone from his team telling him what he needed to do next. Relief washed over him when the text was from (Y/N). 

_If you’re not busy with work, we should meet up later. Up to you._

A ghost of a smile crept onto his face, and he quickly sent a text of agreement before he set his guitar down and took long strides up the stairs to grab his disguise. He made the plans with her and snuck out the back way in his car again. Fairy Tail Coffee stood in its usual place, as did the girl with (H/C) hair. Natsu’s hands quickly opened the door, and he slipped inside and took his usual seat next to her in the corner. 

“Do you have another day off?”

“Something like that. It’s more of an ‘independent work’ day.”

(Y/N) tilted her head and questioned, “I thought all of your work is independent work.”

“Oh, uh, yeah. But this is like completely independent work. We all come together and pitch ideas.”

She nodded and handed out a cookie to the disguised singer. 

“So how come you wear this all the time?” She probed, motioning towards his sunglasses and hoodie. “I mean, if I didn’t know any better, I would think that you’re trying to hide from someone.”

Natsu quickly changed the subject, and (Y/N) seemed to not fight it. They chatted for another half hour before (Y/N)’s phone rang. She excused herself, and when she returned, she gathered her stuff and said she needed to leave for a work emergency. 

“I’ll see you around though.”

She left a few seconds later and disappeared into the street. Natsu sighed and left the coffee shop as well, telling himself that he would just take a nap or something while he waited for something else to come up.

The front door creaked open, and Natsu was once again greeted by silence. He sat back down on the couch and looked at the guitar. After a minute of just staring at it, he jumped up and stepped up to the second floor and swiped a notebook from his bedside table, bringing it back down to the living room and opening it up. 

“Jesus,” he started, looking at the very distant date of his last lyric entry, “I guess it has been a long time.”

He found a pencil and started to scribble words down, tapping his foot to try to find a rhythm to go off. He ended up grabbing his guitar again, and he just played whatever chords came to mind. After a little while, he had figured out the chorus and some of the bridge. And for the first time in a very, very long time, he felt satisfied. He looked over the lyrics and sighed before ripping the page out of his notebook and crumpling it up.

“Too personal, Natsu,” he echoed his producers’ feedback. “You gotta go with what sells.”

His eyes trailed down towards the wrinkled paper and slowly picked it up, unfolding it and looking it over again. 

“But I guess I can keep it for now.”

\-------

“And what exactly was that?” His producer sarcastically asked. “You need to get serious. Quit fucking around.”

“Whatever. How about you sing this crap? I mean, come on. This song sucks.”

“We had a very successful song writer write this--”

“Yeah. You. And I’m telling you I don’t like it.”

“Just get back in the booth and record it.”

Natsu huffed and grabbed his guitar, going back into the booth and trying to fill in the missing melodies. After they had stopped for the day, Natsu quickly left the booth and started to cross the halls of the studio. 

“Where are you going?” His manager questioned. “You have an interview.”

The singer groaned and hung his head. The manager grabbed Natsu by the shoulder and guided him to the waiting car. 

“Do I have to stay long?”

“It should only take an hour.”

\-------

Natsu immediately hated the interview once it started. There were two interviewers: a woman who was obviously and shamelessly flirting with him the entire time and a man that would try to play off his malicious comments as jokes. 

“Now I know that all you stars have a whole team of writers that provide you with exactly what to say,” the man started. “So I know you’ve probably written only one song or something like that, but I’m sure you have a little bit of a process, so what do you do?”

Natsu had to cover up his scowl with his typical media smile. 

“Well actually, I wrote my first album myself, and I’ve had input since,” he chirped, lying about the last part and continuing to spew bullshit. 

“Speaking of your first album, which pushed you to fame, it sounds so different from your latest album. How did you decide to go from that to pop?”

“Uh,” Natsu stumbled, looking towards his manager for help. “Well I guess I just--”

“Oh come on, Sharon,” the guy interviewer butted in, trying to joke. “It was obviously because pop sells more easily.”

Natsu sat there and listened to his “jokes” for another couple minutes, nodding politely until the woman started asking the very predictable but dreaded question. 

“So what’s the love life like, Natsu? Anyone special?”

His practiced response was ‘no,’ but he didn’t want to say it. But at the same time, he didn’t want to explain himself, and he thought it unfair to put (Y/N) in that position when he wasn’t even being honest with her.

“No,” he eventually answered.

“Well that took a minute,” the man joked. “Surely numerous women have thrown themselves at you. You’re telling me you’ve never played with any of them?”

Natsu had to close his eyes for a second to hide what would be a very obvious eye roll. 

“Nope, nothing like that.”

“Is it perhaps a secret--”

“So about my albums,” he aggressively redirected. “I’m actually in the middle of recording one now.”

“And how far along are you?” The woman asked, trying to keep the artist’s attention.

“We have four songs done so far, and we’re working on the next two.”

Natsu was able to complete the interview a little while later, and he practically ran out of there. His manager sat near him in the car and went over the feedback for his interview. Which was, as usual, the chance for him to hear about everything he had done wrong.

“Natsu,” he hissed. “What the fuck was that in there?”

“What?” Natsu snapped. “Did you not hear them at all?”

“You have to still be professional.”

“I was. I spoke about my album.”

“You need to--”

“I’m not doing interviews anymore. Not until people learn how to fucking talk.”

“And what took you so long with their dating question?”

“Nothing.”

\-------

_You still off from work tomorrow?_

Natsu got a confirmation from her, so he suggested that they go to one of the locations he went to when he needed to escape. She agreed, but not before getting the exact coordinates so she could check it out beforehand.

_Just in case._

Natsu rolled his eyes, but he smiled as he walked to the kitchen to get something to eat. The notebook sat on the edge of the coffee table in the living room, and he picked it up once he returned to the couch with a snack. Natsu looked around at the empty house and set down his plate, picking up the notebook and leaning against the back of the couch. 

\-------

“Woah,” (Y/N) breathed. “This is amazing. How did you find this place?”

“I have to know every little place because of work. I come here to destress. It’s great at sunset.”

The (H/C) haired girl leaned further back on the hood of the car and pointed up towards a group of clouds, joking about what they looked like. Her head rolled to the side to see Natsu’s frown.

“What’s wrong?”

“Huh? Oh nothing. Just thinking.”

(Y/N) let it go, but held his hand.

“Listen, uh, I have something I need to tell you.”

The girl tilted her head and prompted him to continue. Natsu was going to do it. He really was. But when he looked into her eyes, he knew that he didn’t want to risk it.

“Nevermind.”

“Natsu,” she laughed, “you can’t just hype me up for some big statement and then back down.”

“It’s just...well I really like you.”

(Y/N) looked taken back for a few seconds, and she pointed back to herself with a ‘me?’ before she smiled wide.

“I really like you too.”

Natsu’s lips pressed into a line, and he pushed himself off the hood and opened up the backseat to grab his guitar. Once (Y/N) spotted the instrument, she giggled. 

“Am I getting another private concert?”

“Not exactly. I just haven’t played for fun in a long time.”

“Busy with work?” She tested. 

“You can say that,” he mumbled. 

(Y/N) closed her eyes as she listened to the improvised tune he had started. He was careful to stay away from playing any chords that matched his songs, but he decided that he would play the tune that he had come up with the other day. (Y/N) opened her eyes and watched him as he played. She noted that he made it look easy, and she clapped when he was finished. 

“Hey,” she teased, “you could be one of those professionals. Maybe like a guitarist for some band.”

Natsu went to say something, but he was silenced when (Y/N) gasped and pointed to the sunset. Her eyes twinkled as she watched the different colors fade into darkness. 

“You’re right. It’s beautiful.”

\-------

“If you would just listen to it. I think it would sell--”

“Natsu, your songs for the album have already been decided.”

“We only recorded four. We can easily substitute one or just add it as a bonus track or something.”

“You have eighteen songs planned. You don’t need another.”

Natsu huffed and grabbed his guitar from the corner of his home studio and stalked into the living room. He started to play the original chords, drawing his manager over to the noise. He raised his eyebrow at the singer’s creation and stopped him.

“Is that the song?”

The pink haired boy quickly nodded, hopeful that it convinced him.

“You can’t revert. You’re in the pop industry now. It’s very different from the singer songwriter.”

Natsu scoffed and made his way up to his bedroom, leaving his guitar by his notebook in the living room. He growled in frustration and sat on the edge of his bed, going to take out his phone when he realized he didn’t have it. Sighing, he stepped down the stairs to see his manager marching towards him.

“What now?”

“Who the fuck is (Y/N)?”

“Uh, no one.”

“‘If you’re free, I’ll be at the coffee shop until eight.’ Still sure she’s no one?”

“Why are you even reading my phone? Privacy is a thing you know.”

“Get rid of her. You can’t get into a relationship. You need to stay single so your fans--”

“Jesus. Will you let me live a little? I’m not staying single forever.”

“Fine. Then wait until after your album is released.”

“Wha--no! That’s gonna be for at least another six months!”

\-------

Against the demands of his manager, Natsu had continued to sneak out to meet (Y/N). They were sitting in his car when she spotted something that made his heart drop. 

“I didn’t know you wrote stuff,” she said as she looked at the notebook very clearly labelled “Lyrics.”

“Yeah. Just in my spare time,” he said, not completely lying, as he hadn’t written his own songs in who knows how long.

“That’s pretty cool. Do you write whole songs and play them on your guitar?”

“Well most of them aren’t even near done. Just like a couple lines each.”

(Y/N) smiled and continued to look out the window. She turned to look over at him and asked if she could see what he had written.

“Uh, yeah sure.”

Her (E/C) eyes scanned the pages as she flipped through them. She took in the first couple entries:

_You’ve had a puncture  
Your ego’s deflated  
It’s not my fault  
You make things complicated_

_You listen from behind your wall of never ending doubt  
Never hearing, never seeing what my pain is all about_

_Love can never be charged on credit cards  
The bank will decline  
And you’ll go from Sunset Boulevard  
To sleeping on a bench outside_

_Traffic jam in my head  
Backed up with words never said _

_I'm a stranger  
I walk around in skin that's not my own  
And I'm a danger  
Tell me why I’m a visitor in my own home_

“What was on this page?”

“What one?”

“There’s a page ripped out.”

“Uh, just a song that came to mind, but it wasn’t very good, so I just got rid of it.”

(Y/N) hummed and looked at the next page, an unnoticed smile appearing on her face. She turned the page on more time to see the last entry.

_I am homeless in my mansion  
I am empty, I am lost  
my heart is frost-bitten  
sinking in your love’s frozen lake  
I don’t know if it will ever thaw._

“You’re pretty good, Natsu,” she joked. 

“I’m glad someone thinks so,” he muttered. 

“What was that?” She asked, not hearing him.

He gave a quick ‘nothing’ before pulling into the parking lot to the restaurant. They joked around with each other for over an hour as they ate, and afterwards Natsu led her back to his car. He opened the trunk, and (Y/N) jumped onto the ledge and swung her legs as she waited for him to join her. He had eventually walked from the backseat to the trunk, his guitar in hand. (Y/N) took out her phone and aimed it at the pink in the sky, capturing the colors that danced with each other in the clouds.

“Kinda pretty, eh?”

(Y/N) agreed, leaning off to the side, her shoulders brushing with his. She seemed to notice the distance (or lack of) between them, and she shyly leaned away. Natsu set down his guitar and hesitantly placed his hand on top of hers. Her eyes met his, and the singer dipped his head, his lips gently pressing against hers before he pulled away. He realized what he did, and his blush was mild in comparison to (Y/N)’s scarlet face.

“Sorry,” he quickly apologized. 

She leaned forward again and mirrored his actions before pulling away and smiling brightly at him. 

“I’m really glad I got to meet you Natsu. I feel like I’ve been able to just live a normal little life instead of rushing around with work.”

“No kidding,” he agreed. “You really have no idea.”

\-------

Natsu quickly got dressed and rushed out of the door. He was greeted with a crowd of reporters, but he ran through them and into the car. His manager scolded him for being late, but Natsu just brushed it off. 

“Where were you last night?”

“That’s my business.”

“It better not have been with that girl. If you’re gonna date then at least let it be someone famous. You can’t afford to--”

“Will you just let me live like a normal person for once? I’m sick of always being some famous guy that doesn’t even write his own songs.”

“You’re going to be famous still, no matter what unknown girl you run around with. How do you even know she likes you? This is why you have to be careful. You don’t want her to just use your fame for--”

“She’s not, but I can’t say the same for _you_.”

\-------

“Sorry I’m late,” Natsu apologized as he stood by the coffee shop. “I seem to be late to everything today. I hope you weren’t here long.”

“Don’t even worry about it,” (Y/N) dismissed. 

Natsu was handed his coffee and he joined (Y/N) in the corner. 

“So what’s your job doing to you now?”

“Uh, well I got yelled at by my mana...boss today. And they keep shutting down my ideas about everything, so it’s going great,” he responded, sarcasm dripping from his last few words. 

“That must be so frustrating.” 

As usual, they had driven to their usual restaurant. They didn’t go in this time, opting to just sit in the parking lot. (Y/N) laced their fingers together and kissed his cheek before snuggling into his side. Natsu pulled her closer and rested his head on top of hers. It was calm. That is, until Natsu spotted a well-known paparazzi driving by the parking lot. He tensed, and (Y/N) looked up to question him. 

“Get in the car,” he said quickly.

“Are you okay? What’s got you so rattled?”

“Just get in. I’ll explain later.”

(Y/N) looked around in shock before standing with her arms crossed. 

“That’s how people get kidnapped.”

“I’m not gonna kidnap you,” he spoke, his eyes trained on the approaching car. “But you need to get in.”

She hesitantly opened the passenger door and crawled inside. Natsu immediately handed her a hat, telling her to put it on. 

“Natsu, what the fuck is going on?”

“Listen, I didn’t want to tell you this because everyone always freaks out and I can never get a proper relationship started because of it.”

“What’re you talking about?”

“They,” he pointed over towards the entrance to the parking lot, “are paparazzi that could majorly change your life, so I would suggest putting the hat on so your face doesn’t make it into the papers.”

“I still don’t understand. Why are--”

“Please just do it. I don’t want you getting sucked up into this.”

She reluctantly did and looked out the window to see a bunch of cameras getting pulled out of the approaching car. Natsu sped out of the parking lot and took a bunch of backroads to a different location. 

“Natsu, you better tell me what the fuck just happened right now.”

He sighed and shifted in his seat to face her and started his explanation.

“My full name is Natsu Dragneel, and I’m a singer.”

She looked unconvinced, so Natsu took out his phone and opened his Spotify app, selecting one of his songs and playing it to her. (Y/N) started giggling, and Natsu asked her what was funny.

“I just find it funny that you have your Spotify page saved.”

Natsu rolled his eyes and locked his phone. 

“Like a legit singer? Music deal and everything?”

“Yes,” he sighed.

“I guess I was right when I said you should play for a living,” she joked. 

“You’re not gonna completely freak, are you?”

“Natsu, singer or not, you’re a person. And I’m not gonna freak out because the awkward guy at the coffee shop happens to be a famous singer. I think you deserve some normalcy. I know we all do. But next time,” she seriously spoke, pointing a finger at him, “give a girl a warning before you put her in a situation that involved sneaking away from paparazzi.” 

“Wait. Really? You’re not gonna--”

“That certainly answers my question about why your voice was so familiar though. I was starting to think it was one of those soulmate scenarios,” she continued to laugh. “How come the lyrics in your notebook aren’t like the lyrics in your songs?”

“That’s a long story,” he sighed.

“Well you should push for them. There’s a lot more heart in writing about the girl in the coffee shop than listing off vague descriptions in order to appeal fans who like to envision themselves with you.”

“Yeah I guess you’re...wait.”

_“Her smile  
Sweet as a cold cup of coffee  
Big as Russia, gentle as a lie_

_Cause I like my coffee dark and I like my cookies sweet  
And all I can say, darling, I’d kiss you in the streets”_

“You weren’t supposed to see those.”

(Y/N) took off her head and pecked his lips before giving a mischievous smile.

“They were after your ripped page. I have to say, Natsu Dragneel, you should really try to get your own lyrics in your songs. I think they’d be a lot more satisfying for you if you got to actually tell your stories.”

“My manager said they’re too personal and that I need to just stick to the cookie cutters that sell.”

“Too personal? Isn’t that the whole point of songwriting? If you take the heart out of the lyrics, then the song means nothing, no matter how successful it becomes. Well then maybe I’m alone in this, but I would like to hear whatever song you ripped out. Your music deserves to be heard. You’ve worked hard to get yourself noticed in the first place, so don’t disappear from your work.”

“I don’t write pop.”

(Y/N) opened up her Spotify app and visited Natsu’s profile. 

“A man of few words,” she commented, looking at the one line bio, noting that it just said the name of his last album. 

She started scrolling through the discography, and she selected the first album, picking a random song. 

“That doesn’t sound like pop to me, and looking at the popularity scale, it’s just as popular and streamed as your new songs.”

Natsu backed out of the dark parking lot they had escaped to and started to drive down the backroads. 

“So uh, before I do this, I wanted to make sure you were okay with what’ll happen if I pull into my driveway with you.”

“I've always wanted to see what my good angle is.”

“So, uh, girlfriend?”

“Not when you ask like that,” she taunted. 

The singer rolled his eyes and corrected, “Will you be my girlfriend?”

“That’s better,” the (H/C) haired girl praised before grabbing his hand that rested on the gear shift. 

“Keep your head down for most of it or else you’ll get a massive headache. And don’t stop walking or else they’ll surround you.”

Just as he said, they were swarmed once they got out of the car, and paparazzi started screaming to know the identity of the girl wearing the hat. She grabbed his hand as he pulled her through and quickly unlocked the door and pushed her inside. 

“Well that sent a rush through my body.”

It was then that she looked around, her eyes widening at the massive room that greeted her. The ceilings were so high that it made her dizzy when she looked up. She looked over towards what she assumed to be the living room, and she spotted an oversized fireplace surrounded with a bunch of couches. 

“This place is gigantic. You could fit an entire house just in your living room.”

Natsu gave her permission to wander, and she found his studio. She started asking how things worked, and he gave her a short rundown. Her eyes sparkled as she explored, especially when she found the home theatre. 

“Oh we’re so watching a movie here at some point,” she affirmed. 

“If that’s what you really want,” Natsu laughed. 

She made her way back to the studio and yanked him into the booth. Her tongue stuck out as she played with the buttons, and she let out a little cheer when she saw the red recording light pop up. 

“You’re recording a song.”

“Right now?” Natsu asked, shocked.

“Yes. And then you can show your producers.”

“They won’t care.”

(Y/N) flipped the switch again, which stopped the recording. She left the room and stepped back in with his guitar in her hand.

“You know, Natsu,” she reasoned, “if you don’t like your team so much, then you can always leave for another label.”

“I have a contract. Plus, they made me famous.”

“No, you made you famous. Besides, I’m pretty sure if you can afford this,” she said as she motioned to the house, “then you can afford to buy your contract out.”

“I dunno,” he sighed. “I’m in the middle of an album right now, so it’s not ideal.”

“Do you even like the songs you’ve made so far? Honest.”

“Okay, fair. But they would own all my other albums.”

“That might be true, but you didn’t like them anyway. Go back to the style of your first one. Start over if you have to. Your fans love you for you and your talent, not some pop facade you’re hiding behind. People loved your first album so much that they supported the change to pop, and I’m positive that they’ll support you finding your voice again.”

“For someone who didn’t know who I was, you sure have a good understanding of how this works.”

“I’ve seen countless documentaries,” (Y/N) seriously stated, causing the pink haired singer to chuckle. “Will you try?”

Natsu took a deep breath before taking the guitar from her and stepping to the microphone. 

“Uh, so I only have one recent song that’s near finished because I kinda gave up writing for a long time.”

“So sing that one.”

“It’s kinda embarrassing to sing it with you standing there.”

(Y/N) smiled wide and she light-heartedly spoke, “Are you saying that I’m the reason you started writing again?”

In all seriousness, he gave a truthful ‘yes’ before looking off to the side. He heard a quiet laugh and switched the light back on.

“You’re on, Natsu.”

_Every morning I rise with you on my mind  
I can barely take my breakfast this time  
So hit me with a beam to get me up before dawn  
Ha, I love you, like I love my coffee_

_I like my coffee dark and I like my guitar tuned  
Now tell me that this spark won’t go anytime soon_

_We can live in love and laugh all day  
Sippin coffee being just fine  
Your smile has brought my voice to me  
Now everything in my life can rhyme  
Again_

_Who brings you coffee in the morning?  
Who has that gorgeous smile that I adore?  
Who could ever find it in their heart to love without you?  
A tender word in a coffee cup_

_I used to hate coffee  
Now I love it year round_

_We can live in love and laugh all day  
Sippin coffee being just fine  
Your smile has brought my voice to me  
Now everything in my life can rhyme  
Again_

_I feel waiting for a miracle, this romantic notion  
I walk up to a window and sunlight hits the pane_

_We can live in love and laugh all day  
Sippin coffee being just fine  
Your smile has brought my voice to me  
Now everything in my life can rhyme  
Again_

_Now get some sugar in my coffee  
And strap some string round my waist  
Look into those clear (E/C) eyes  
Bind those fingers laced  
And never let go_

Natsu played the last chords of the outro and looked out the glass towards a beaming girl. 

“See? That was great! You can hear it in your voice that you’re happier writing this kind of music.”

Natsu’s mouth twitched up as he set his guitar down and exited the booth. He approached (Y/N) and wiggled his eyebrows, prompting the girl to giggle and give him a quick kiss before she turned back to the panel of buttons. 

“Okay, which button is the save one?”

The singer laughed loudly and pulled her away from the control panel, leading her down the hallway. They heard the door open, and the distinct sound of his manager’s voice echoed through the house. Natsu groaned and followed the voice to the stairs where he saw the manager yelling up the stairs. 

“Who’re you yelling for up there? I’m right here.”

“Word is already getting out about whatever girl you were caught with. It better not be that--”

“Hi there,” (Y/N) greeted as she popped her head around the corner.

She held out her hand to shake his and introduced herself. He looked her over and glared back at Natsu.

“What?”

“I warned you about this. Not until your album is done.”

“Yeah, about that,” Natsu drawled. “That’s not gonna happen.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Uh, well I’m firing you.”

“What?!”

“Yeah, and the entire label while I’m at it.”

“You’re making a huge mistake. You’ll never get anywhere with that stupid indie music.”

“That’s okay. At least I’ll burn writing my own shit. And you can keep the albums I’ve already made. I won’t be needing them anymore.”

(Y/N) looked between the two of them, eyes darting to look at whoever was talking. The manager gave her a threatening stare that made her cower, but Natsu was quick to redirect it.

“Bye,” Natsu sternly stated as he cornered the manager to the front door. 

They could hear the paparazzi screaming from the outside as the manager walked out the door to his car. Natsu and (Y/N) made eye contact before grinning at each other. 

“Guess I have to start making some calls.”

“I know which number you should call first,” (Y/N) stated as she unlocked her phone.

She scrolled through and tapped on a contact, dialling the number.

“Hey Jon, I have someone who wants to talk to you.”

The phone was handed over to the singer, and his eyes widened as the conversation unfolded. He handed the phone back over to her after he was done and stood there with his mouth open. 

“You know Jon Thalia?” Natsu shouted, referring to the famous CEO of a top label. 

“I dated his son back in high school. We’re still close. Now if he gives you trouble, just let me know and I can blackmail them with some embarrassing pictures we all took on a vacation. You do not want to see Mr. Thalia in a speedo. Now I believe I deserve another kiss.”

Natsu tossed the phone to the side and yanked her close to him, causing her to let out a small squeak. He kissed the top of her head and rocked them before holding her at an arm’s length. 

“You can do whatever you want, on me.”

“Whatever I want?”

“I will give you anything.”

(Y/N) gasped and grabbed his hand, pulling him towards the door.

“Where’re we going? The mall?”

“Back to that sunset spot. You’re singing me another song.”

“That’s what you want? Out of literally anything?”

She smiled and winked, countering, “What more could I possibly want?”

And that, (Y/N), is how you showed an isolated singer how to find his voice again, with the bonus of being able to be there every step of the way.


	85. Natsu x Insomniac!Reader: Blanket [requested]

Natsu knew that he didn’t need to worry about (Y/N) in battle. She could easily take care of herself and hold her own against strong foes. Hell, she was able to go toe-to-toe against Erza. But there was one thing that he couldn’t help but worry about: the amount of sleep she was getting. Well, more like the severe lack of sleep. As someone who deals with insomnia, (Y/N) stayed up most nights, unable to get to sleep. She would lay in bed; she would close her eyes. But nothing worked, and eventually she stopped trying.

Natsu would wake up in the middle of the night to see that she was reading in the living room or pacing across the floor. The fire mage often rolled out of bed to join her, asking her to try to sleep again. It would never work. Getting to sleep took hours, and by the time she was able to pause her brain, the sun would be out and she would go to the guildhall. 

(Y/N) was in the same situation this night, and sitting upside down on the couch was her way of passing the time. Natsu heard the shuffling from the other room and groaned. He forced himself out of bed and stepped into the room to see (Y/N) in her position as she hummed. Her head rolled to the side and let out a small ‘oops’ before she pulled herself up.

“Did I wake you?”

“Have you slept at all?”

(Y/N) sighed loudly, giving Natsu the answer. The dragon slayer gently grabbed her arm and led her into the kitchen. He reached into the cabinet and started to make tea. 

“It won’t help,” she reminded him. “It never works.”

“We gotta get you sleeping, (N/N). You’re gonna run out of energy at some point, and we have a big job we’re doing in two days.”

“I’ll be fine.”

“No, you won’t,” Natsu stated sternly. 

(Y/N) leaned into his side and pressed her head into his arm. Natsu wrapped his arm around her and turned his head to kiss the top of hers. His hands slowly rubbed her arm as he continued to boil the water, and a couple minutes later he guided her back towards the couch. (Y/N) slowly sat down and held out her hands for the mug of tea. She took in the steam and closed her eyes before taking small sips. They had tried this method many times before. It worked long enough for her to fall asleep once, but she was up within the next two hours, and then she wouldn’t be able to get back asleep for the rest of the night.

“So what’re we doing today?”

“We’re not doing anything until you’re able to get some sleep. You’re running on two hours from two days ago.”

“I’ll be fine. You don’t have to worry so much.”

“(Y/N), you saying that isn’t gonna make me worry any less.”

(Y/N) curled into his side, setting down her mug on the table. Natsu shifted so that her head was resting on his shoulder. 

“The doctor said that she could see you in a few days.”

“But I don’t--”

She was met with Natsu’s tired eyes that hid behind a firm look. (Y/N) looked down. She knew that her lack of sleep meant that his sleep was interrupted, and while he easily caught up with midday naps, it didn’t stop the fact that he too wasn’t getting enough sleep at night. She slowly nodded in agreement before she jumped up and walked over to the little closet for blankets. After wrapping herself in a blanket, she shuffled back over to the couch and joined his side again. 

\-------

It was the next day, and (Y/N) grabbed her coat and made her way to the guildhall. Natsu had left while she was in the bath, so she said that she would meet him and Happy there when she was done. Once she arrived, she was met with the usual chaos. Someone had thrown something, as usual, and it started to fly towards (Y/N). Now normally this wouldn’t be an issue. She would just catch it or break it before it hit her, but her body refused to work. So, the chair came hurtling at her. Just before it hit her, it caught fire and turned to ash. She could feel the heat from the fire on her face, signalling just how close the furniture had gotten. She heard Natsu let out a breath of relief before making his way over to her.

“Thanks.”

“This is what I’m talking about, (N/N).”

There was no other words between the two, and (Y/N) silently leaned into him and hugged him, gripping his vest by his back. She rested her head on his chest and closed her eyes. Natsu rested his head on top of hers and stayed there for a minute before pulling away.

“Let’s head to the doctor. She said she’s busy this week, so this is the only time she’ll see you.”

(Y/N) turned around and opened the doors, and Natsu called back to the guild and said that they would be back soon. The walk to the clinic seemed like it was the longest walk (Y/N) had ever taken. Her mind was mush, and her body wouldn’t cooperate, and her eyes stung. Natsu had to hold her by the time they got close. 

“Hello there,” the doctor greeted. “You must be (Y/N). I’ve heard a lot about you from the townspeople.”

(Y/N) hummed and continued to lean on Natsu. 

“Well let’s get you checked out and see if we can fix your sleep, yeah?”

The (H/C) haired wizard hopped onto the medical chair, the paper crinkling underneath her. The doctor did the usual physical exam, and then tested her reflexes. There was a considerable delay, and when she looked into (Y/N)’s eyes with the flashlight she saw that her pupils also didn’t seem to function properly. 

“When was the last time you got some sleep?”

Natsu spoke up, saying that she had gone almost two days without any. The doctor took one look at (Y/N) before adding another question.

“And when was the last time you slept the night?”

“I dunno,” she weakly answered. “A long time.”

“I would try to follow a regular sleep schedule. Maybe try to use your energy during the day so that you can sleep at night. Don’t stay up late, and don’t eat food that could keep you awake. Before bed, try to avoid anything that would require a lot of energy. You don’t want yourself to get excited before you try to shut down.”

(Y/N) thanked her and hopped off the bed, swaying slightly and leaning into Natsu again. 

“Natsu?”

“What’s up?”

“Can I go home now? I can’t really stand up.”

Natsu knelt down in front of her, prompting her to climb on his back. He carried her the rest of the way to the house and laid her down on the bed. 

“Why don’t you try to take another bath. Maybe you’ll be able to sleep after. There’s tea in the cabinet and I’m sure we have some milk that I could warm up for you before I go.”

(Y/N) heard the words ‘warm milk’ and stuck out her tongue before shaking her head. Natsu laughed quietly and waved goodby before he returned to the guild, leaving (Y/N) sitting on the bed and staring at the wall. After a while, she followed Natsu’s suggestion and prepared another bath, sinking into the hot water and closing her eyes. It wasn’t working, and the water was starting to cool, so she got out and wrapped herself in a towel, draining the tub and stepping back into the bedroom. 

After a few hours, Natsu came back and set down a bag of food that he had picked up at the market. He looked around for (Y/N) and eventually found her curled up on the couch. Thinking she was finally asleep, he tried to be as quiet as possible. 

“I’m not asleep.”

Natsu sighed loudly and approached her, laying his hand on her head and running his fingers through her hair. 

“What did you get at the market?”

“Sleep food. I got walnuts, tea, fish and kiwi!”

“That’s...a horrible combination.”

“Well you’re obviously not gonna eat them all at the same time,” Natsu sassed. “Besides, I got you something else too.”

(Y/N) twisted around to face him and waited for the reveal. Natsu smiled wide and reached into the bag to pull out a long piece of fabric.

“A blanket?”

“You bet!”

“Natsu,” she giggled, “what is a blanket gonna do?”

“This is a special blanket.”

“And why is that?”

“Because I got it for you.”

(Y/N) laughed loudly and reached out to grab the blanket, saying her thanks but revealing that a blanket wouldn’t help her. Natsu laid the blanket over her and disappeared into the bathroom. She laid there for a few more minutes before getting up and crawling onto the bed, stretching herself out so she took up the whole mattress. 

She didn’t know why, but when she looked at the blanket, a wave of exhaustion flooded over her again. 

“Great,” she muttered, “another thing to keep me up.”

(Y/N) stared at the ceiling for what seemed like forever, and she finally decided to force her eyes shut. It wasn’t working, not to her surprise. 

\-------

Natsu returned from his shower and went into the bedroom. He chuckled when he saw her sprawled out on the bed. Just as he was about to talk, he took in her closed eyes and relaxed face, mouth slightly open. 

“No way,” he breathed. 

(Y/N) clutched the blanket, bringing it closer into her side and hugging it. Natsu smiled fondly at the sight and quietly exited the room, careful not to wake her. He decided to take a much needed nap of his own, so he quickly fell asleep on the couch. When he woke up four hours later, (Y/N) was still in a deep sleep. Another two hours passed, and she had yet to wake up. 

After a total of seven hours, (Y/N) stirred in the bed, weakly opening her eyes and observing the darkness that sat on the other side of the window. She rubbed her eyes before rolling out of bed and wandering into the living room. 

“Natsu?”

“Well good morning,” he teased as he sat on the couch. “Sleep well?”

“Huh?”

“You’ve been asleep for seven hours.”

“I was?”

Natsu smiled and waved her over, and she quickly cuddled into him.

“Told you the blanket would work.”

(Y/N) leaned up and kissed his cheek before leaving her spot and slipping away, returning with the blanket and resuming her cuddle. She gripped the blanket again and let out a breath. Natsu chuckled and brought her closer. And about five minutes later, she was asleep yet again.


	86. Smart!Natsu x Reader: Chemistry (High School AU) [requested]

Nothing was worse than getting paired with the smart kid when you have no idea what you’re doing, and that was just what was happening when (Y/N) got paired with Natsu. She was, of course, completely confused about the assignment, and she was dreading the partner work that the teacher had assigned. Now, (Y/N) wasn’t _not_ smart. She just had a hard time with this particular class. And it wasn’t something she could really hide. Sure, she would be able to bullshit some answers, but when working with Natsu, there really wasn’t any place to hide. It would be obvious to the pink haired student that she had no idea what to do. 

“So what did you wanna do for splitting up the work?” (Y/N) nervously asked.

“I mean, we don’t really have to split it up. It’s short enough that we can both work on it together.”

“Oh, uh, great.”

Natsu turned away from her in order to grab a notebook from his bag. (Y/N) quickly read the directions on the worksheet so that she was prepared for the amount of confusion that came her way. Both of them scanned the problems on the sheet and got out their calculators. 

“Um, so I have a slight problem.”

Natsu raised his head and quirked an eyebrow. 

“Well...I actually have no clue what to do.”

He just smiled and opened his notebook. After looking at one of the problems again, Natsu opened his notebook and started to scribble the necessary information onto the page. 

“You see, you just gotta use the formulas and remember to add the sig figs.”

“How are you so good at chemistry?” She whined. “I’ll never get this done.”

Natsu chuckled and handed her the notebook paper, which had the steps to solve the problem. (Y/N) looked at it, her eyes widening. 

“How did you do that so fast?”

Natsu gave a cheeky ‘it’s practice’ before working on the next problem. The (E/C) eyed girl looked at the next problem and groaned. It looked more complicated than the first one. She followed the steps that Natsu had done for the first one, but she had gotten completely lost, and she ended up getting a negative answer for a growth rate, knowing that it needed to be positive for this particular question.

The pink haired boy continued to work quietly as (Y/N) struggled. He looked up to see how she was doing and laughed when he saw that she had placed her head on the table.

“You’re gonna get yelled at,” he teased. “Come on, I’ll help you.”

“What grade do you even have in this class?” 

“Uh, maybe a 94? Not sure.”

“This is stupid,” she mumbled. “I’m never gonna get this done.”

\-------

(Y/N) sat with her usual group of friends: Juvia, Gajeel, and Laki. A weird combination, but (Y/N) loved them all. 

“So how was chem?” Laki taunted. 

“Yeah I heard you worked with that smart guy. How lost were you?”

“Gajeel, (Y/N) just doesn’t like chemistry. Juvia knows that (Y/N) is still smart.”

“Thanks Juvia. But they’re right. I’m totally lost in that class, and having Natsu as a partner makes it so much worse.” 

“Now is that because you’re horrible at chem or because you have a massive--”

“Shh! Seriously? Someone could hear you!”

Laki snickered and grabbed the bag of chips on (Y/N)’s tray. She would always tease her about things like that, and that day was no exception. 

“Don’t worry, (N/N). Juvia knows that you’ll get through it.”

\-------

“So I was thinking that I could help you with chemistry. Whaddya say?”

“Me? Are you sure? I’m kind of a lost cause in that class.” 

Natsu just grinned and nodded, handing over his phone for her to enter her number. She got a text a couple seconds later from him, and she saved his. 

“We start tomorrow after school.”

“Uh, okay.”

“Now let’s get back to this worksheet. We should probably get most of it done before class ends so that we can really focus on the harder ones later.”

They sat for the rest of class attempting to finish the worksheet. For Natsu, it wasn’t a problem. For (Y/N), it was a bit of a struggle. Most of the worksheet did end up getting completed, leaving just five problems left. The bell rang a few minutes later, and (Y/N) went to leave when Natsu stopped her.

“Your friends are gone today, right?”

“Yeah. How’d you know?”

“They’re kinda easy to spot,” he joked. “Why don’t you come sit with me? I know I’d hate eating lunch alone.”

“Oh you don’t have to do that. I’ll be fine.”

“We have cookies,” Natsu sang.

(Y/N) thought for a minute before agreeing, quickly following him to the table. Lucy was the first one to spot the new member, and she smiled wide and ushered her to an empty spot at the table. The (H/C) haired girl didn’t notice it, but Lucy had given a sly look to Natsu. Erza was the next one to greet her, and she quickly introduced the rest of the table. (Y/N) nodded and gave a quiet ‘hello’ before starting to pick at her food. 

“So Natsu, does this mean that you finally--”

Gray got a swift kick from under the table, and he glared at Lucy. She gave a ‘shh’ motion, silently telling him to drop it. Natsu huffed and turned to (Y/N) and started making conversation. The lunch block consisted of Gray and Natsu bickering, Lucy and Wendy sighing in defeat, and Erza getting between the two to stop them. (Y/N) studied the dynamic and started to giggle. 

“What are you laughing at?” Gray asked.

“She’s obviously laughing about how stupid you are,” Natsu quickly threw back. 

“What did you just say--”

“Enough!”

They both were silenced by Erza. Natsu grumbled under his breath, but smiled at (Y/N) and apologized for arguing. She waved it off and joked, saying that her friends had their fair share of shouting at each other as well. 

“So are we still on for tomorrow?”

Natsu heard a chorus of ‘ooo’ from his friends, and he glared at them. (Y/N) had not picked up on it, so she simply nodded and grabbed her stuff when the bell rang. 

“Seriously?” Natsu shouted at them once (Y/N) was out of earshot. “Don’t do that.”

“Aw. Is little Natsu going on a date?”

“No, Lucy. This is just me helping her with chemistry.”

“Oh yeah. You’ll help her with chemistry all right.”

Natsu rolled his eyes and flipped her off before leaving the table and going to his next class.

\-------

It was the next day, which meant that it was the day that Natsu said he would help her with her work. Which was, as well, the day that her nerves skyrocketed. She debated in cancelling, reasoning that she wouldn’t even be able to focus enough to learn anything, but she ultimately overruled herself and decided to go. It was the final bell, and (Y/N) nervously waited in the library for Natsu. He arrived shortly after. 

“Ready to learn?” He joked. 

“Not really, but if you somehow manage to get me to understand this then I’ll be very impressed.”

They worked for two hours, and (Y/N) still had no idea what she was doing, so Natsu offered to help her the next day as well. 

\-------

Laki tittered and teased, “Are you studying again?”

“Knock it off!” (Y/N) responded, a blush apparent. “That’s literally all we’re doing.”

Laki gave an unimpressed ‘mmhmm’ and winked. 

(Y/N) nervously waited in the library for Natsu to arrive. It had been a few minutes past when he said he would be there, so she started to give up. That is, until she heard the sound of books dropping onto the table. 

“Sorry,” Natsu nervously apologized. “I kinda got locked out of my locker thanks to some asshole.”

“Gray?” She tested. 

“That’s the bastard.”

She started to giggle and got out her own notebook, flipping to the page where they left off the last time. 

“This is still too confusing. How do you understand any of this?”

\-------

It had been about two weeks of Natsu and (Y/N) staying after school. They had gone to the library every day, and (Y/N) was starting to understand a little. For two weeks, both Natsu and (Y/N) had been sitting on a pile of nerves. And it was for the same reason, but neither of them knew that. Natsu had a small burst of courage that day, so he asked her if she wanted to meet at his house the next time, reasoning that it would be easier to concentrate than in a crowded library.

“Oh,” (Y/N) said in surprise, “are you sure?”

Natsu assured her that it wouldn’t be a problem, so she agreed. The next day, Natsu met her outside the school’s front door and led her down the street, saying it was close enough to walk. They arrived at his house, and they made their way to his room, where books were quickly sprawled across the floor. The two worked for two hours before (Y/N) started to moan.

“I can’t do this anymore.”

“Let’s take a break and see how you feel after that.”

They both closed their books and leaned back on their hands. Silence took over them. Both of them were trying to figure out what to say to each other without it sounding awkward, but neither of them could think of anything casual to say. 

“Uh, are you ready to start again?”

“No,” came (Y/N)’s quick reply.

She had leaned back so her back was on the floor and sighed. Natsu stood over her and held out his hand for her to grab. He pulled her up and pointed over towards the books again.

“This is useless. I’m never gonna get it.”

“But you’re doing so well,” he encouraged. “You definitely know a lot more than you did before.”

(Y/N) sat down next to him and went to open up her notebook. And it was then, when their shoulders brushed, that they both realized how close they were sitting. Natsu stiffened and (Y/N) quickly leaned away from him, apologizing and trying to cover up the red that was surely covering her face. 

“So, uh, anyway,” Natsu started, “you have the elements down, so we should move onto mixtures.”

She followed Natsu’s instructions and turned back to the problems in the textbook. Her mind was, however, completely distracted, so she couldn’t focus enough to even read the problem all the way through. 

\-------

For another month, (Y/N) had been joining Natsu at his house. Her grades had improved over the course of their study sessions, which is something that she was grateful for. 

“You’re still struggling with oxidation.”

“I know,” she whined. “I just can’t get it.”

Natsu sat down right next to her and began to walk her through the steps again. (Y/N)’s heart sped up when she could feel his body heat radiating off him. This was, for her, too close, as she was certain that he could hear her heart. Too close for comfort. He was undoubtedly able to read her mind at this distance. As if on cue, Natsu looked at her and held her gaze. 

“So anyway,” (Y/N) redirected, “oxidation?”

“Let’s take a small break. I gotta pee.”

(Y/N) laid on her back with her knees bent up. She looked around and smiled when she saw Natsu’s cat push the door open and wander into the room.

“Happy! Come here little dude.”

Happy complied, and Natsu came back to see him curled up on (Y/N)’s stomach and purring as the girl rubbed the back of his ears. 

“Are you two having fun?” He laughed. “Come on, Happy. Let’s get you dinner.”

Happy immediately hopped away from (Y/N) and followed Natsu out of the room. Natsu returned a couple minutes later and joined (Y/N) on the floor again. Once again, they sat in silence. This one, however, wasn’t as awkward as the many were before. Natsu eventually pulled (Y/N) up so she was sitting again, and they started on the next problem. They worked for another hour before (Y/N) refused to do any more. Conversation flowed easily for them. Natsu went to say something, so he turned his head to look at her. He was met with (Y/N) looking back at him, and he studied the situation before looking away. 

“Do you think we should get back to work?” He quickly questioned. 

“Just give me another minute. I can’t look at numbers right now.”

Natsu laughed and turned his head again to give her a smile, but he was met with her looking at him again. He stared at her for a couple seconds before he slowly dipped his head to kiss her. This caused him to immediately pull away and started to ramble another apology. (Y/N) blinked a few times, trying to process the last thirty seconds. Another scarlet wave crashed over her. 

“Sorry,” Natsu stuttered. “I shouldn’t have done that.”

(Y/N) seemed to be done processing the actions, and she gasped before shaking her head.

“It’s completely fine!” She assured him. “I was really starting to think you just wanted to help me with my grades. I can’t believe this. I mean, did you mean that?”

Natsu hesitantly nodded, which caused (Y/N)’s eyes to light up. 

“Uh, what?”

“Well it’s just, well I’ve liked you for a while now. And I just thought that it wouldn’t work out because you’re like super smart and I’m not really like you. But you like me?”

“Wait. You like me?”

“I guess we’re both oblivious.”

They spoke for another hour before Natsu finally closed the textbook that they were no longer using. He looked around before his eyes reluctantly met hers.

“So, uh, did you maybe wanna do this again? I mean, without studying. Well, I guess i just wanna ask you out.” 

“Definitely.” 

They smiled at each other before they both groaned. 

“Lucy is never gonna let me hear the end of this.”

“Laki’s sure to make fun of me.”


	87. Prince!Natsu x Assassin!Reader: Roses [requested]

The kingdom of Fiore was a prosperous and peaceful place. Children played in the streets, markets sold fresh produce, and trade was thriving. The palace was something that could not be missed by anyone entering the kingdom. It stood tall, towering over the surrounding city. A huge royal yard encompassed the outside barriers of the structure, and flowers of all kinds sprouted from the ground. 

“Prince Natsu--”

“Please just call me Natsu. There’s really no need to go through the formalities.”

“Uh, right. Well there’s a meeting and the king requested that you be there.”

Natsu groaned and complained, prompting the maids to start giggling. It was well known that the prince was not fond of meetings. Hell, he wasn’t too keen on the whole prince thing either, but he enjoyed being able to speak with everyone in the palace, even if they were just here to work. He was the type of royal to tell the staff to relax. In fact, he even helped with some of the chores around the castle, which brought many lectures from the royal advisor. He did, of course, avoid cleaning up the kitchen and dining room. Cooking he had no problem with. The problem was with the cleaning up the massive messes he would make in the process. 

Everyone in the kingdom loved the prince. However, those of high power had some problems with him. First, Natsu was not a fan of conflict, so he would urge his father to compromise with the other parties in order to avoid any violence. People in the court would say that he was “too soft” on his enemies, and that it would get him in trouble one day. Second, he was stubborn. It was common knowledge that the prince would need to choose someone to marry so that he could become king after his father stepped down, but he would keep putting it off. Yes, he got along with everyone. And yes, all of the women would be more than happy to be the one that he chose. But he was having none of it. The king would throw formal balls, inviting royals from the neighboring kingdoms, in hopes that a princess would catch his eye. He would even force his son to hang out with various women on the council of both Fiore and other kingdoms.

Nothing.

“Do I really have to go? I have to check on the cookies.”

“Prince Natsu, the cookies will be there after the meeting.”

Natsu mumbled something under his breath before a loud sigh sounded from him. The prince had entered the meeting room and scanned the people inside, his eyes landing on his father that sat at the head of the table in his usual throne-like chair. The king waved him on to join him in his own royal looking chair, and Natsu silently did so. 

“We called this meeting to go over the threat that had come to the attention of the council,” one of the council members started.

“Very well,” the king spoke. “What is it?”

“There’s a group of assassins that have been making their way through the kingdoms. A young soldier was killed last night. When captured by the royal guards, it was revealed that they were after the king when the soldier got in the way. We have reason to believe that they will be coming into Fiore.”

The king had quickly worked with his advisors and defense head for the next two hours to come up with a plan. More soldiers would be assigned to the palace, and both the king and the prince would be getting an increased amount of personal guards. They were all informed of the common tattoo that the group wore: a geometric wolf.

“Now onto the next task,” the king continued. “We’re having a ball.”

“Oh come on!” Natsu shouted.

“You need to find a queen.”

“Well don’t you think I should meet someone on my own instead of it being forced,” the prince sassed. 

“I would usually say yes, but you refuse to do that. I have no choice.”

Natsu and his father had a staredown in front of the others in the meeting, and neither looked like they were going to give in for the other. 

“I’m not going.”

“You _are_ going. This is necessary.”

“Don’t see how it’s so important. You already said that you weren’t stepping down for a long time anyway.”

“And what if those assassins get to me and kill me? You’ll have no queen.”

Natsu sighed and reluctantly sat back down in the chair that he had previously jumped up from. He leaned his head on his arm as he propped it up on his elbow. They went over the details of the ball, and soon the king and prince were left alone in the meeting room.

“It’s for the good of the kingdom, Natsu.” 

“Yeah, yeah. Whatever. I’m still not gonna find anyone. The only people that come to these things are all stuck up and boring.”

\-------

In a distant forest, there was loud laughter. A group of seven surrounded a small campfire as they joked around. 

“Did you see that soldier?” One cackled. “Did you hear him?”

“‘Please don’t kill me! I have a baby!’” Another member yelled, mocking the soldier’s last words. “There’s nothing better than that!”

“You all are disgusting,” a (H/C) haired girl mumbled. 

“Oh yeah?” A black haired man questioned. “What’s up with you?”

“We didn’t even get to the king,” she answered. “It was an utter failure. And you all are still celebrating! Get it together. If we don’t get the king this time then we can’t even call ourselves assassins.”

“What are you even talking about, (Y/N)?” A man who was very clearly drunk slurred. “We still killed someone.”

“Yeah? And how is killing one low-ranking soldier considered assassin level work, Evan?” She snapped. “We’re pathetic.”

“Whatever you say, princess,” Evan sarcastically responded. 

(Y/N) rolled her eyes and gave her “friend” a swift kick in the shins, causing him to let out a yelp and hop away from her. An orange haired man looked up from the fire, his face lighting up with an idea.

“I know just what to do to guarantee success with the next one.”

\-------

Natsu was hanging upside down on his throne when he spotted feet in front of him. He swung himself to sit upright and gave a sheepish smile to his advisor.

“Uh, whatcha doin in here, Yedrick?” Natsu tried to play off.

“I’ve come to get you for your fitting. That is, if you aren’t busy.”

“Oh, uh. Nope. Not busy.”

Yedrick pinched his nose, but he turned around and started to walk towards the tailor’s section. Natsu quickly hopped off his chair and followed him. He took one look at the outfit he was supposed to wear and glared at the advisor. 

“That looks uncomfortable.” 

“Well then I guess you won’t mind picking out another one?” Yedrick drawled. “You have an hour.”

Natsu smiled wide and rushed back to his room, quickly returning with his outfit.

“No,” was all Yedrick said.

Natsu brought the clothes back to his room before coming back with another.

“No.”

He tried one more time, bringing three choices with him.

“No.”

“You’re just gonna say no to everything,” he said, frustration evident in his voice.

The tailor disappeared behind the curtain and presented a simple navy blue suit with a matching cape. 

“I guess that’s fine. It’s definitely better than the original one.”

After the alterations, Natsu ran out of the palace and strolled through the streets, making casual conversation with the townspeople. A couple kids ran up to him and started to ask countless questions. Their mothers were quick to try to drag their children away from the prince, reasoning that he was busy and didn’t want company, but Natsu just laughed it off and crouched down to the level of the young children and answered all their questions. 

“You should get a dragon, mister prince!”

“A dragon, eh?” Natsu mused. “You know, I was actually speaking with the king about that the other day, but it seems that we can’t find a dragon that would fit in the palace. Do you know any smaller dragons that would like to work with us?”

The children laughed with the prince before he stood up and waved goodbye as he continued through the streets. He eventually returned to the palace and made his way into the kitchen.

“Alright boss,” Natsu joked, speaking to the royal chef, “what’re we making today?”

“Curry. So you should probably stay out.”

“Jeez. You start one fire in the kitchen and suddenly you can’t cook curry anymore. Who knew.”

Natsu gave a final shrug before spinning on his heel and continuing to the dining room. He spotted his father stepping towards his seat, so a smile broke out on the prince’s face as he rushed over to him.

“Hey dad, you’ll never guess what we’re having tonight.”

“Yes. The chef has informed me of your banishment from the kitchen tonight, so I’m assuming it’s curry.”

Natsu hung his head and mumbled something, but his smile returned as he sat down on the chair next to his father at the same end of the table. This was also something that the prince did that was deemed to be “weird” and slightly inappropriate, as everyone expected them to be at both head seats at the table. Natsu paid no attention to this unspoken rule, instead opting to enjoy his father’s company. 

“Are you prepared for the ball tomorrow?”

“I guess,” Natsu admitted. “I don’t get the point in it. These things never work anyway, so what’s with all the effort?”

“Natsu, you must find someone. There is no choice.”

Natsu gave a disappointed ‘fine’ before the conversation was interrupted by the food coming out of the kitchen. 

“Hell yeah!”

\-------

It was the night of the ball, and Natsu groaned as he buttoned up his suit. He put his boots on and fastened his cape over his shoulders. 

“Man this is such a pain.”

There was a knock on his door, and he assumed that it was Yedrick again to bring him down, so he opened the door. His father stood on the other side, and he quickly stepped into the room, scanning his son over.

“Dad? What’re you doing here? Don’t you have to get ready too?”

“Natsu,” he started, “I know you don’t like these things, but it’s so important for this. It’s for the people. So please try your best.”

“I understand what you’re saying, but I can’t force myself to like someone.”

“As long as you try. And if it doesn’t work, we can keep throwing them until you do.”

“Ew. No.”

\-------

And just as usual, everyone who attended the ball was boring. Natsu had snuck out a total of four times, and Yedrick and his father had found him each time, dragging him back into the ballroom and giving him a stern look. He would just roll his eyes and hang out suspiciously by the back door to the garden. Sure, they were all pretty. And yeah, they had the same status, but something was always missing. He sighed and leaned against the wall when he heard a bang. His head whipped around to see a girl with (H/C) hair rubbing her forehead as she stood on the other side of the closed door. She let out a small ‘ow’ before opening the door and slowly stepping inside the room. Natsu’s eyes lit up in amusement.

“It’s a pull door on that side,” the prince joked.

He heard a small scoff before their eyes met. She continued to rub her forehead in the spot where she had smacked her head.

“First time in Fiore?”

“Yeah, you could say that. As you can probably see, I’m not a fan of doors.”

Natsu let out a small chuckle before turning his attention back to the crowded dance floor. The girl went to walk away when she took a small step backwards.

“Wait. What’re you doing here?”

“What kind of question is that?” Natsu countered. “What’re you doing here?”

“I’m asking because you seem to be the only guy that isn’t, like, a thousand years old. And to answer your question, I was invited.”

“That would probably be because I live here.”

“So you’re the prince?” She questioned, tilting her head.

Natsu nodded and went to say something, but he was cut off by her sudden departure. 

“What the hell was that?” He mumbled. “She wasn’t even interested.”

His eyes scanned the room, landing on the same figure as she stood by the buffet table. He quickly stepped over to her again and started to question her.

“So are you a princess of something?”

“Why else would I be here?” She quickly redirected, not giving a direct answer.

“Well I mean, it’s just that you’re not all like...clingy.”

“Clingy? Sorry, I don’t throw myself at anyone. Now shoo,” she said as she waved her hands at him. “I’m finding a dessert and I need my space.”

Natsu squinted his eyes, trying to figure her out. She gave him no time to do so, as she had left him yet again, favoring to go back to the corner by the garden. Just as Natsu was going to follow her, a young woman with white hair approached him, prompting him to dance with her. As soon as the dance was over, he looked over to the place where the girl once stood, but she wasn’t there anymore.

“Damn. How many times is she going to move?”

His curiosity had been immediately captured by her. She was, afterall, not like any of the other women that he had been around. He could tell right away that she was different, and that intrigued him. Why would she ignore him like that? He didn’t know, but he sure did want to find out. A small spot of (H/C) was seen outside in the garden, so he followed his suspicions. And sure enough, there she was, sitting on a bench outside and brushing her fingers around the petals of a lily.

“How come you’re out here?”

“I’m not fond of crowds. Besides, it’s nice and quiet out here.”

“You know you’re not supposed to be out here, right?”

“Hm,” she thought out loud, “no, I don’t remember being told that.”

“Well, it’s not something that’s said out loud. It’s just a silent rule.”

“Well how am I possibly supposed to know such a rule if it’s never spoken?”

Natsu joined her over on the bench, silently sitting beside her as she continued to study the flowers. 

“Uh, so where do you live?”

“A small place,” was all she said. “You’ve probably never even heard of it, so there’s no use in even saying it.”

“You’re very strange.”

“Do you always insult your guests, Prince Natsu Dragneel of Fiore?”

He held his hands up in playful surrender before standing up and waving her to follow him. She raised her eyebrow at him, trying to gauge his movements. Natsu just waved at her again. The girl reluctantly followed him, and they arrived near the center fountain. 

“Why have you lured me by a fountain?”

“What’s your name?”

“And why would I need to be this deep into the garden for you to ask that?” She quickly rebutted. 

“Because if my father sees me talking to you for more than five minutes then he’ll start arranging a marriage ceremony, and I doubt you’re the type of person to go along with that, so this is safer.”

“Your father seems very dramatic. Though I guess that’s normal for royalty.”

Natsu ignored the indirect insult, a small smile on his face. He nodded his head back to the inside of the ballroom, asking her to join him for a dance. Her eyes grew wide, and she looked off to the side.

“I don’t know how to dance.”

“What kind of princess doesn’t know how to dance?”

“What kind of prince could be so rude to his guests?” The girl threw back. 

His smile grew, and he took her hand and started to pull her further into the garden.

“What’re we doing now?”

“We can dance here so that you don’t have to embarrass yourself.”

“Or we could always just not dance. Doesn’t that seem like a better option? Besides, don’t you think that a prince sneaking off to the garden to have a secret dance with a woman he just met to be a little cliche?”

“It’s only cliche because it works so well.”

She let out a loud sigh and overdramatically gave him her hand, and she was immediately pulled into him, causing her to let out a small squeak. 

\-------

“Your father will surely miss you by now.”

“I’m actually impressed at how well you can hide me,” he said as he laughed. “I’ve tried sneaking out four times already and they found me for all of them.”

“Experience,” was her quick response. 

“Well it sure comes in handy.”

“You have no idea.”

Natsu peeked around the bushes and saw that the guests were starting to leave, and he spotted his father looking around for him, so he stepped out of their hiding spot and held out his hand for the girl to take. 

“I would rather not be spotted by your father. No offense, but you were right when you said that ceremonies involving arranged engagements were not my style.”

She started to walk away, and before Natsu could say goodbye, she disappeared. Seconds later, Natsu’s father stood in front of him with his arms crossed.

“And where, may I ask, were you for the past hour?”

Natsu puffed out his chest and revealed that he had been speaking with a princess for the past hour, which caused his father’s eyes to widen in shock.

“Which nation? We must arrange this before you change your--”

“I’m not marrying her, dad. We were just talking.”

“Where is she from?” The king pressed. “We can arrange for both of you to meet up again to connect.”

“Uhh…I don’t know.”

“You don’t know?”

“She, uh, she never told me.”

“Well what’s her name? We can find her that way.”

Natsu laughed nervously and rubbed the back of his head.

“Yeah, uh, we didn’t get to that either.”

“You don’t know?!” Yedrick shouted. “How could you possibly spend so much time with her and not know her name?”

“Hey! How many times have I told you not to eavesdrop?” Natsu shouted back. 

“Natsu,” the king redirected, “you need to find out who she is. Is she someone you think you could choose?”

“I dunno. Can I get my cookies now? They didn’t even put them on the buffet.”

The king sighed loudly and silently dismissed him. Once Natsu was out of earshot, the king turned to Yedrick with a simple order.

“Find her.”

\------

“So how did it go, _Princess (Y/N)_?” One of the members teased. 

(Y/N) huffed and put on her regular shoes, complaining about how uncomfortable the outfit was the whole night. She sat down by the fire and stretched her arms out in front of her. Rigel, a man with deep blue hair, continued to mock her cover, which earned him a swift smack to the stomach. Everyone laughed as he doubled over. 

“So were you able to get to the king?”

“The prince.”

“Oh ho ho,” Evan yelled. “And how exactly did you manage to socialize with the prince when you have no manners?”

“She obviously played hard to get, Evan,” Rigel spoke as he recovered. 

“And it worked like a charm,” (Y/N) spoke, a smirk on her face. “Let him sit with it for a little and then we’ll see.”

\-------

“Your highness, this girl is impossible to find,” Yedrick regrettably revealed. “I’ve contacted countless nations and nobody has any information on her.”

“Well she’s obviously caught his attention, so we must find her.”

Natsu entered the throne room holding a plate of food and sat down beside his father. 

“Whatcha talking about?”

“Are you sure you have no idea who she is?”

“The girl from the ball? No clue, but she was certainly different. Something about a small nation. Hey, do you think you can find her for me?” He suddenly asked. 

“And what changed your mind from last night to now? I thought you didn’t care.”

“Well, yeah. But I was thinking about it and I mean, I would like to at least talk to her again.”

Yedrick’s eyes lit up and he started, “That’s wonderful. We can finally--”

“Hey,” Natsu quickly interrupted, “don’t get ahead of me. It’s nothing like that yet.”

\-------

It was a couple weeks later, and (Y/N) wandered into the kingdom of Fiore, her cloak wrapped around her shoulders and a basket in her hands. She weaved through the crowds as she stopped at the food stands lining the streets. As she was handed a group of apples, her eyes caught sight of the familiar pink hair. Her feet took her over to the prince, and she stood behind a group of three laughing children. The children were excitedly chatting with the young royal, and Natsu was joking along with them. 

“Didn’t realize you liked to socialize with the people,” she observed. “I figured you would stay in the palace all the time.”

The children separated so that the unknown woman could wiggle through, and she stood with one of her hands on her hip. 

“Uh, who’re you?”

(Y/N) rolled her eyes and lifted the hood off, revealing the (H/C) hair and (E/C) eyes that he had met at the ball. His eyes widened, and a smile broke out on his face.

“What’re you doing here?” Natsu questioned.

“Are you saying I’m not welcome?”

By that time, Natsu had waved his goodbyes to the smiling children and led her to a quieter part of the otherwise busy streets.

“Why’re you dressed like that?”

(Y/N) took a quick look down at herself before raising her gaze to make eye contact.

“And what’s wrong with what I’m wearing?”

“Huh? Oh, nothing. It’s just that it’s not usually what--”

“What? Is my common attire not _appropriate_ for the public eye? I dress comfortably.”

“Your parents don’t mind?”

“Those in charge of me could care less about what I wear as long as I finish what they expect of me.”

Natsu smiled and tried to take her hand, but she stopped him and interrogated his actions. He just laughed it off and told her that he was taking her back to the palace. After some thought, she let herself be pulled through the streets. 

“Come on,” he quietly urged as he guided her around the throne room. 

“Why are you being so quiet? It’s your palace.”

“Well, you see, there was an incident involving some icing that went missing, and it was kind of important.”

“Eating frosting does not seem worthy of high crime.”

“It was supposed to be for the cake that would be served at the treaty meeting today.”

For the first time since meeting her (which was, of course, not that long, but for Natsu their first meeting seemed far enough away that he would forget that she was still a stranger), she let out a quiet giggle. 

“So you’ve essentially ruined your chances at a treaty is what you’re saying?”

“It wouldn’t be that big of a deal, but it was me that insisted that we make it instead of just fighting them.”

“Why wouldn’t you want to fight?”

“I’m not really a fighting kinda guy. We should all be able to live with each other in peace. Besides, this whole thing started because their king told me that I was an idiot.”

She raised an eyebrow, voicing, “So let me get this straight. Your father was willing to go to war with a neighboring nation just because the other king spoke the truth?”

“Pretty mu...you’re harsh.”

“I find being straightforward is most effective.” 

Natsu led her towards the east wing, which was where the gardens were located. He snuck her past the guards, who were also looking for him by that time, let out a big breath once they reached the “safe” portion of the outside.

“If you needed to hide from your own people so bad, why didn’t you just stay out in the city instead of coming back here? It seems very counterproductive.”

The prince wordlessly walked past her and sat down at a bench, patting the seat for her to join. She complied, but not before she picked a flower out of one of the patches. She ran her fingers along the yellow petals before it dropped from her hands. 

“Do you always come to neighboring nations dressed like a commoner?”

“I like to scope things out,” she said truthfully.

She was, obviously, talking about a plan for the assassination, but Natsu brushed it off as curiouslty about the different townspeople. 

“Oh before I forget,” Natsu suddenly brought up, “what’s your name?”

“My name is (Y/N).”

“That’s a really pretty name. Well I’m--”

“Pince Natsu Dragneel of Fiore. I know.”

“We’ve been looking for you for a while now,” he revealed. 

“Me? Why?”

“Well, uh, I mean...I just wanted to speak with you again I guess. So, uh, I was wondering if you wanted to go for a horseback ride or something. I’ll even let you ride my buddy Happy.”

“Is this how you royals court? Horses?” 

Natsu stumbled over his words, a small blush forming on his cheeks. 

“Well how do you court?”

“I don’t. But I will take you up on your offer. I have an interest in horses.”

\-------

“How do you even do this?” She hissed as she tried mounting the horse yet again.

Natsu looked on in disbelief as (Y/N) continued to struggle to get a grip on the saddle. He slowly walked over to her and guided her hands into a better positioning.

“You know,” he joked, “I don’t think I’ve ever seen a princess who didn’t know how to ride a horse.”

“I’ve never been around horses long enough to learn. Now stop making fun of me and give me assistance.”

The prince held her hand and helped her find her footing before she was finally able to swing her legs over each side. She blew a piece of hair out of her eyes and cleared her throat, trying to act like she hadn’t been struggling for the past twenty minutes. Natsu quickly mounted one of the other horses before he brought both her and Happy to trot beside him.

“So if you don’t have horses, how do you get around?”

“We walk like normal people. Are you telling me that you take this horse everywhere you travel?”

“Well yeah. He’s my buddy.”

(Y/N) stayed silent, opting to have Happy trot ahead of him so she could explore, leaving Natsu to laugh to himself as he caught up to her.

\-------

“See? It was fun and you didn’t even die,” Natsu teased.

“Your horse threw me into the pond,” (Y/N) seethed. “I am wet and aggravated.”

“Hey, it’s your fault for insulting me in front of him. Believe me, there are times when that horse is better at guarding me than the soldiers.”

Natsu looked at her aggravated face and led her into the tailoring room. (Y/N) looked around in awe at all the different fabrics and pieces of clothing. Her eyes landed back on Natsu as he slipped behind a curtain, returning with the tailor. The man started walking in a circle around her, which startled her. 

“My dear,” he addressed, “what is your favorite color?”

“Uh, why?”

“He said he’ll get you a change of clothes,” Natsu shrugged. “I mean, you’re kinda wet.”

(Y/N) was guided over to a small stage where the tailor started to take measurements. He left about ten minutes later, saying that he would be back with the finished piece. Natsu approached her and held her hand to let her step down. He scanned her, noticing her slight shivers. His feet quickly took him to another corner of the room, and he grabbed what looked to be a sweatshirt and handed it to the assassin. 

“You wear clothes like this?” She asked in wonder.

“You know, I also enjoy my comfort. These royal clothes get uncomfortable. I mean, you’re one to talk. Look at you. Here.”

(Y/N) took the sweatshirt, her cold hands brushing with his. She looked at him expectantly, and when Natsu asked her what she was waiting for, she deadpanned. 

“I’m not undressing in front of you. Cover your eyes.”

Natsu let out an embarrassed ‘oh’ before quickly spinning around, his hands over his eyes. (Y/N) swiftly stripped herself of her shirt and replaced it with the sweatshirt. 

\-------

(Y/N) let out a small whine as she was being laced into her new dress.

“Why is it so tight?”

“My dear,” the tailor reminded, “all dresses of this kind are like this. I’ve already loosened it twice.”

She squeezed her eyes shut until he was done lacing her in, and she rejoined Natsu in the hallway outside the tailor’s area.

“You look happy,” Natsu taunted. 

“I hate royal clothes,” her quick response came before she pushed past him.

“Wha--where are you going?”

“I’m hungry.”

“The kitchen is the other way.”

(Y/N) huffed and turned around, grabbing him by the arm and dragging him with her. Once they got to the kitchen, Natsu sat her down at the table and told her that the food would be out. He disappeared into the kitchen, so (Y/N) propped her head up with her arm and looked around the dining room, noticing the detailed (and, most likely, very expensive) artwork on the walls. 

“Damn. If everyone saw this, they would definitely start robbing our targets too.” 

After what seemed to be a long time, Natsu still had not returned. (Y/N), suspicious of his absence, got up and made her way into the kitchen. There were, finally, things that she could recognize. That being a stove and different chefs. But what surprised her was the sight of the prince in his own chef’s coat.

“I’m telling you Ron. You do it this way.”

“Prince Natsu, we’ve always done it this way.”

“What the heck are you doing?” (Y/N) wondered.

At the sound of her voice, Natsu’s head picked up, and he had a large grin on his face. 

“Making lunch. What else?”

“You...make lunch?”

“Well yeah. I get some great training here. Besides, being waited on all day can get aggravating and boring. Plus now the cooks can take a break from--”

“Yes, Prince Natsu,” Yedrick agreed as he appeared. “But from their break they also have to deal with you here making a huge mess.”

(Y/N) let out a small snort, and she quickly covered her mouth. Yedrick turned around in complete disbelief. Natsu, on the other hand, started laughing.

“So I guess you’re really not into that whole princess thing, eh?”

“Hush,” she yelled, embarrassed. 

“Lady (Y/N), don’t you think it’s unbecoming to laugh in such a way?”

“What’s it to you? Last time I checked, I was a guest here. I’m not the princess you think I am.”

Yedrick choked for words before he sheepishly bowed and dismissed himself. Natsu gave her a sly look before he continued to tease her.

“I don’t see what the big deal is,” she muttered. “It’s just a laugh.”

\-------

“What time do you have to go back?”

“Whenever I want to. There is no curfew where I’m from.”

“Damn. I wish it was like that here.”

“Something tells me that you would rather stay here once you saw it.”

Natsu brushed it off and led her to the garden, tugging her towards the fountain. 

“Why are we over here again?”

The prince didn’t say anything, opting to wordlessly walk over to one of the bushes and pick a small carnation. 

“Here.”

“What’s this for?”

“It’s a carnation.”

“I can see that. But why are you making such a big deal out of it?”

“...Because it’s dark pink,” Natsu responded, confused as to why she was not getting it.

“So?”

“Were you not taught the meaning of flowers? Like at all?”

“Well excuse me, but not everyone has time to study different flowers in their freetime.”

“A dark pink carnation is usually what you give to someone on a first date to show that you like them.”

“Oh,” she awkwardly stated before she cleared her throat. “I, uh, didn’t know that.”

“Are you going to take it or deny it?”

“I-Why would you present it to me? We’ve only known each other for a short time.”

“Well,” Natsu stumbled, not feeling awkward himself in this situation, “after the ball, I didn’t know your name or where you came from. I sent people looking for you, but they couldn’t find you. I, uh, well I mean I was kind of hoping that I could get to know you better. And today was the most comfortable and enjoyable day with a princess, like, ever. I dunno. I guess I just feel like I could really get along with you?”

“I’ve been nothing but sarcastic to you the entirety of us knowing each other.”

“And it’s so different from the others. They always just go along with whatever they’re told, and nobody really seems to have their own personality other than being a princess. But you’re so much different. You’re not afraid to say something, and you don’t care about tradition. You treat me like a normal person.”

(Y/N) looked at the flower in the prince’s hands, took a deep breath, and gently grabbed the flower from him. She spun the stem around as she studied the petals, and when she looked up, she saw Natsu’s relieved expression. 

“So now what?” She inquired.

“This means I’ll be seeing more of you,” he joked. “I’ll have Yedrick set up some meeting times where your guards can bring you to--”

“That’s not a good idea,” she quickly spoke. “I really don’t think that’s a good idea.”

Fear, dread, panic. All filled her as she thought of the eventual revelation. Afterall, she wasn’t a princess, and she didn’t have a court. She was only a small girl from the forest. I mean, who also happened to be the assassin tasked with killing him and his father. 

“Well I guess we could just keep it informal? If that’s what you want.”

(Y/N) nodded curtly before going for the door, saying that she needed to get home. Natsu quickly caught up to her and walked her back through the palace, stopping at the front door.

“Do you want me to take you back?”

“Oh no. That’s not necessary. I can get back perfectly fine.”

“It’s late,” Natsu pressed. “And you don’t have a horse or carriage.”

“That’s really not a problem. I’ll be fine.”

Before he could protest any more, she slipped into the darkness, hurrying back to the forest. Once she was there, the rest of the group welcomed her back with their usual mocking and sarcastic remarks. Evan spotted the small flower she was holding and howled.

“No fucking way. You totally got him fooled!”

“How do you even know about the flowers?” (Y/N) harshly spoke. “You couldn’t have told me about all this royal crap before you sent me out there? Nobody told me I needed to know how to ride a horse or dress a certain way. Don’t even get me started on laughing or flowers.”

\-------

It had been a couple months of (Y/N)’s act, and it was no surprise that she had caught the attention of the prince. In that time, she had begun to learn the ins and outs of royalty, embarrassing herself in front of Natsu’s court along the way. There was a certain way of eating, a certain way of dressing, a certain way addressing others. She knew none of these things, having been just a commoner herself. 

“You do it this way,” Natsu explained as he picked up his spoon.

“This is so stupid. Why are there three different spoons?”

“Believe me, I wonder the same thing.”

“Why can’t you just wipe it off with a napkin and then reuse it for the next one?”

“Because they want to make it complicated,” Natsu laughed.

Meanwhile, Yedrick and the king were watching from afar as the prince seemed to thoroughly enjoy his time with the disguised assassin. 

“She is certainly different from any princess I’ve seen,” the king spoke.

“If you ask me,” Yedrick added, “she seems like a non-royal.”

“If this is what he wants, I don’t care who she is.”

“But your highness--”

“My son is finally happy in the presence of a woman. He isn’t fighting with us and we’re not forcing it at all. And yet it still happens. Yedrick, she’s here almost every day.”

“Sire, are you saying…”

“Yes. Start making the wedding arrangements.”

“Or course, sire. Right away.”

(Y/N) huffed and set the spoon down before leaning back in her chair. Natsu looked on, his gaze softening as he looked at her. It was true. They had spent almost every day together, and Natsu loved each second. There was no one that he had ever met that was like her at all. As he had said before, nobody treated him like this. They always just listened to what he said. She was completely different. She would fight if she didn’t agree with what he was saying, she didn’t follow royal traditions, and she acted...normal.

The prince quickly looked away from her when he saw her eyes crack open to look at him. The assassin hated to admit it, but with every day she was spending at the palace, her drive to complete the mission was slowly slipping away. He wasn’t just some other royal that she could heartlessly kill. He cooked his own meals, he played with the children outside the palace, he treated his court like friends. She could tell that he wasn’t too fond of being a royal to begin with, and he enjoyed having time like this to act...normal.

“Come on,” Natsu spoke. “I feel like you’ve had enough of utensil training.”

“Can we go for a ride?” She asked, hopeful.

Natsu chuckled and nodded, waving her towards the stables. Unlike before, (Y/N) was able to quickly mount her horse as Natsu did with Happy. From all of the horseback rides that they had done, (Y/N) was able to bond with another horse, one with black and white spots. They trotted towards the outskirts of the palace grounds, stopping by a small cliff. They jumped off their horses, brushed themselves off, and walked to the edge of the cliff. There had been many times where they would do this, and because of this, (Y/N) had multiple chances to just end it there. All she would have to do was to just push him off the cliff. It would be a perfect “accident,” but she just couldn’t do it. Natsu placed his hand over his forehead to block out the sun as he looked out to the plains that sat at the bottom of the dropoff. 

“So I was thinking,” he casually offered, “and I was wondering if you might want to stay.”

“Stay?”

“Yeah. You know, like staying with us in Fiore.”

“Oh, uh, well I would have to speak with some people.”

“Hey, um, can I tell you something?”

(Y/N) knew where this was going, and she prepared herself as best as she could, but it still made her heart pick up.

“I really like you.”

Her hands turned to tight fists, and she debated on how to respond. To her surprise, she just told the truth.

“I like you too.”

“Oh thank god,” Natsu breathed. “I honestly have a hard time figuring out your responses, and I didn’t know how you would take that.”

(Y/N) rolled her eyes and bumped her hip with his before she turned around to go back to the horses. He caught her hand before she could leave, and he brought his hand up to caress her cheek. Her mouth parted slightly, a small tinge of pink on her cheeks as she looked at him. Hands gripped at the fabric by Natsu’s chest as the prince slowly pressed his lips to hers. When he pulled away, a childish grin appeared on his face. 

“Let’s head back. It’s time to start cooking dinner, and I promised to help with the sauce.”

When he looked back, he saw (Y/N) with her head hung. He noticed her fists were turning white. 

“Hey, uh, are you okay?”

“I’m sorry,” she choked. “I can’t do this.”

“What’re you--”

She hopped on her horse and whipped the reigns. The horse darted off towards the castle as Natsu shouted after her. 

\-------

By the time Happy and Natsu had made it back to the palace, (Y/N) was nowhere to be seen.

“Yedrick!”

Said advisor turned to face the distraught looking prince. 

“What is it, your highness?”

“Where’s (Y/N)?”

“Lady (Y/N)?”

“Have you seen her?”

Yedrick shook his head, causing Natsu to curse and dart towards the barn. The horse was there, which meant that she was on foot. 

“Where the hell could she have gone so fast?”

\-------

(Y/N) quickly entered a clothing shop, purchasing some common clothes and leaving her dress in the changing room so that she would be able to travel undetected. She quickly made her way to the forest, meeting up with the group of assassins she had come to accept as her family.

“Well it’s about time you came back,” Rigel drawled.

They all spotted the tears streaming down her face, and the oldest, Nile, approached her.

“What has you down, pipsqueak?”

She silently shook her head and sat down by the fire, refusing to speak. 

\-------

It had been a month, and Natsu had frantically searched for (Y/N). He had sent people to neighboring nations in order to try to find which kingdom she belonged to, but everyone came up empty. The search was expanded to further lands, but still nothing. 

“I don’t know what I did,” Natsu dejectedly spoke to his father. “She just freaked out and bolted. And I can’t find her anywhere.”

“Natsu, I know that you are fond of her, but--”

“I’m in love with her,” the prince revealed. “I can’t even think about anything else. I need to find her.”

“Natsu--”

“I choose her, dad.”

The king’s eyes widened, and he quickly called in the guards, demanding that they find the lost princess. Natsu sat down his throne as his father sat in his, and no words were spoken for what seemed to be forever. 

“We will find her, Natsu.”

\-------

“Did you hear?” Evan cackled. “The prince is desperately looking for our little (Y/N).”

(Y/N) fiddled with her fingers as she sat under a cloak. She, as usual since returning to the forest, stayed silent. Evan went to taunt her again when he was slammed in the stomach by her foot. 

“What was that for?!”

“I don’t want to do this anymore,” she finally spoke. 

“What the hell are you talking about?” Rigel complained. “You’ve been at this for like six months.”

“No way,” Evan laughed maniacally. “You can’t seriously say that you can’t kill him. What happened to the hardened (Y/N) we all know? You’re turning soft for someone like the prince?”

“Shut up, Evan,” (Y/N) hissed. “I don’t think I asked you, and I would be more than happy to give you another kick.”

“(Y/N),” Nile distracted, “we have a mission to take care of. And that entails the prince’s demise.”

“And who exactly issued this mission? Us. We’re not even doing it for anyone. We just planned it because we thought it would be fun. Well guess what, assholes? It’s not fun anymore.”

“Let me guess,” Rigel snapped. “You got a taste of the high life and now you can’t go back to being that assassin girl living in the woods with a bunch of guys?”

“It’s not like that at all!”

“Yeah, Rigel. She fell _in love_ with the prince.”

“Shut the fuck up, Evan!”

They all became silent when they heard a noise from the edge of the forest. Soon, hooves could be heard trotting towards them. They all picked up their stuff and went to scatter when a voice booming through the trees. (Y/N) quickly recognized the voice as the king.

“What’s the king doing in the forest?” Nile whispered. 

“Obviously looking for her,” Rigel whispered back, pointing to (Y/N) as she hid in a bush.

The horses came closer, and Nile rushed over to the (H/C) haired girl and grabbed her by the back of her shirt, dragging her deeper into the woods. (Y/N) wiggled in his hold and freed herself before rushing towards the king’s voice. She made eye contact with him and went to speak when Nile grabbed her again. A small squeak sounded, and she screamed in frustration as she tried to wiggle free again. 

“Let me go,” she hissed. “What do you think you’re doing?”

Nile dragged her closer to him before he quickly whispered, “I’m giving you an out. Now if you play along, you can go back to him. And if you let him figure out who you are, you can stay with us. Do what will make you happy.”

“But what about you all?”

“I heard that Fiore’s prisons are pretty decked out. I think we’ll be fine.”

Tears started in her eyes, and she quickly hugged him before he let go of her. She crawled out from their hiding spot and rushed over to the group of soldiers, running to “safety” as she had left her “kidnappers” back. The king quickly ordered the rest of the guards to capture the assassins. 

“My dear, are you all right?”

“Your highness, I--”

“(Y/N)!”

She looked around to see Happy darting towards them, and Natsu quickly jumped off before Happy could come to a full stop. 

“Prince Natsu,” one of the guards started, shocked, “what are you doing here? Your majesty ordered you to stay at the palace.”

“(Y/N),” Natsu continued, completely ignoring the guard, “are you okay?”

They heard grunts from behind them, and they looked over to see that the rest of the assassins had been captured. 

“Sire, what should we do with them?”

“Execution.”

(Y/N) gasped and ran up to the king. 

“Please don’t kill them.”

“What’re you talking about, (N/N)?”

She quickly pulled down her shirt to reveal the familiar tattoo on her collarbone. 

“Please,” she begged. “They’re the closest thing I have to a family.”

“You’re...all this time?”

“Yes.”

“You were trying to kill me this whole time?”

“Ye--”

“No,” Nile corrected. “She’s been trying to convince us to leave you all alone for the past months. She fled back here that day because she didn’t want you to find out and hate her. She hasn’t wanted to kill you since the second month of knowing you.”

“Is this true, my dear?” The king asked.

“I never wanted you all to find out. I figured if I left then everything would go back to normal. I never thought that you all would be so focused on looking for me.”

Natsu stepped forward, yanking her into a tight hug. (Y/N) slowly returned it, and when the prince pulled away, he smiled.

“Of course I would look for you.”

(Y/N) returned the smile before she turned back to the king.

“If you are going to execute them, then I request to go with them.”

Natsu gasped and stood in front of her when the guards went to grab her. He stared them down with a hard glare, snapping at them for even thinking of laying a hand on her.

“Prince Natsu--”

The king waved the soldiers off, and they immediately backed away from the prince. 

“I want to be the head of their punishments,” Natsu firmly demanded. “They were after me, so I should be in charge.”

The soldiers looked over to the king, and he sighed before nodding his head. 

\-------

“He should’ve just executed us when he had the chance,” Evan moaned. 

“No kidding,” Rigel agreed. “This is so much worse.”

“Will you all quit complaining?” Nile demanded. “Hurry up and finish or else we won’t get lunch.”

They continued to shovel the horse stables, scooping the piles of shit into a growing pile in the buckets they were given. 

The king approached them and instructed, “After you finish here, the prince wants you to start cleaning the soldier’s barracks.”

“And where is (Y/N) in all this?” Even snapped.

“She has her own punishments to take care of,” the king simply stated.

Back in the palace, (Y/N) whined as her and Natsu sat at the dining room table. 

“And this fork is for fish, which comes before the meal, which uses this fork. And then the closest fork is for desserts, but only ones that don’t formally require a spoon. And then this spoon is for soup, and this is the dessert spoon.”

“This is worse torture than imprisonment ever could be.”

“Next you have to get fitted for your dresses.”

“No,” she cried. “I can’t deal with those dresses.”

“I mean, it’s kind of necessary if you’re going to be a queen.”

“Yeah well it’s stupid and...what?”

Natsu’s head tilted towards the table, and on the plate sat a red rose. Her mouth flung open when she saw the ring placed around the stem. 

“But--”

“I love you. Which is, by the way, the meaning of this flower, but we’ll get to that lesson for your punishment tomorrow.”


	88. Natsu x Reader: Fear [requested]

It all started when she was young. Some wizards from a dark guild, the Thundertalons, had attacked (Y/N)’s hometown, and everything went up in flames. They were not shy about using their fire magic, and they immediately went for the houses and buildings near the center of town. (Y/N)’s house was one of the first to light up, and her parents were trapped inside. Out of the three of them, (Y/N) was the only one who made it, but not without injury. As she rushed towards the door, a beam had fallen, too burnt to stay up anymore, and hit her on the arm, resulting in a sizable burn. And that, of course, left a sizable scar in its place as it healed. Ever since then, (Y/N) had been terrified of fire. Anything that had to do with fire - candles, campfires, fireplaces, fireworks - frightened her. She had no reason to stay in her hometown anymore, so she ventured off to a place where she could find somewhere to call home. Magnolia ended up being that place. 

“Welcome, child. So you say you want to join Fairy Tail?”

(Y/N) gave a curt nod and scanned the guildhall. It was true: she was also a wizard, possessing (magic type) magic. However, she admitted to herself that she wasn’t nearly as strong as the more formidable wizards, as she was often too unsure of herself to really go all out when fighting. Don’t get me wrong. She was able to hold her own in a fight, and she had the skills of a masterful tactician, but she had a bit of trouble following through. 

“Well welcome aboard. Let’s get you your stamp.”

The woman (Y/N) had recognized as Mira stood in front of her, wearing a warm smile and holding the stamp device. The (H/C) haired girl pointed to the spot where she wanted her guild mark, and it was quickly pressed to the skin. 

The guild doors swung open, and with it came the announcement that Team Natsu had arrived. Lucy, Wendy and Erza made their way over to their usual table, and Gray had wandered over to the request board to see if he could find their next request. Natsu had, as usual, approached the bar and took a seat on his usual stool. He spotted the newcomer and smiled wide in greeting, holding out his hand.

“I guess you’re new,” he joked. “Natsu.”

“(Y/N).”

A loud noise was heard from behind them, and they all quickly turned towards the source of the noise to see that Elfman had challenged Cana to a “manly duel.” This had, like many times before, caused a guild-wide brawl to ensue. It seemed like everyone was jumping in, save for the more rational members (mainly Lucy, Wendy and Levy), and Natsu was no exception. 

“I’m all fired up now!”

As soon as she saw the red sparks, a high-pitched scream sounded throughout the guild. Everyone stopped moving immediately, and they turned to the curled up wizard on the floor. 

“What’s up with you?” Natsu questioned, genuinely curious. 

It took a couple minutes, but (Y/N) had eventually calmed down enough to talk. 

“Well, I’m just really afraid of fire I guess,” she tried explaining. “My town was really hurt by fire, and my family ended up dying in it. I just don’t like it.”

“Like, at all?”

“Not one bit.”

“Is that where you got that pretty nasty scar from?” 

“Happy!” Lucy scolded. “Don’t say something like that.”

(Y/N) smiled solemnly, her eyes landing on the scarred skin. Natsu let out a long breath and shrugged before turning back to the bar.

“Don’t worry about him,” Lucy consoled. “He’s just an idiot. But he would never seriously hurt anyone.”

Her (E/C) eyes darted over to him, studying him for any sign of him calling on his flames again, but she had calmed after a careful deduction. 

\-------

“(Y/N), you gotta fight me,” Natsu suggested. “I have this really cool--”

“You idiot. Leave her alone. She doesn’t want anything to do with your fire. You should know that by now.”

“What did you just say, icicle?”

“You heard me. Quit scaring her.”

Natsu turned to (Y/N) and raised his eyebrow, asking, “You’re really still afraid?”

“Of course she would be with you around,” Gray continued. “All you do is go lighting everything on fire all the time.”

\-------

It had continued like that for a few months, and (Y/N) still avoided Natsu whenever possible, especially in the guildhall. Natsu seemed to catch on, and he had promised her that he would (do his best to try to) keep his flames out of the hall. (Y/N) seemed to be grateful for this little reassurance, and she had started to get more comfortable with him. 

“So I was thinking that I could actually show you this really cool shop in town. I doubt you’ve been there before.”

And yes, Natsu had gotten more comfortable with her as well. Once the flames were out of the equation, the two wizards had grown close. She refused to go on requests with him though, her fear too strong to face the scorching flames she knew he was capable of using. 

It wasn’t until the day that Erza had suggested a picnic when she would have to face her fear. Erza had, in typical Erza fashion, overpacked, which slowed down the travel time to the “perfect picnic place” considerably. They ended up arriving at the field as it was just getting dark out.

“Uh, Erza? Do you think we should just head back?”

“Nonsense, Lucy. We came to have a picnic, and that’s exactly what we’ll do.”

“It’s cold,” Happy whined. 

“I packed blankets,” Erza quickly reminded before rummaging through her cart of bags. 

Happy ignored her and flew over to Natsu, rubbing his paws on his face and asking for a campfire.

“We can have marshmallows and fish. Like a night picnic.”

“Oh,” Erza excitedly gasped, “I would love to have a night picnic.”

So Natsu was, of course, not thinking about the repercussions of his fire, and he quickly lit a spot on the ground. (Y/N)’s eyes widened, and she took the chance to quietly (and quickly, as her fear increased the longer she stood there) slip away deeper into the forest. Everyone seemed to be having a great time, and it was only when Natsu turned to his side to hand off a cooked fish to his friend that he noticed she wasn’t there.

“Hey, uh, where’s (N/N)?”

The group turned at his words, and they all tried to see if she had stepped away from the fire. 

“Oh no. I completely forgot,” Lucy shouted. 

“Forgot what?”

“Natsu, she’s terrified of fire. I can’t believe we all forgot.”

After hearing his friend’s words, he stood up and spun to face the forest. Before he could leave, Erza said that they should split up to find her before she was completely lost. His hand quickly came up to silence her, and his eyes narrowed as he looked at the darkness present in the forest. 

“I’ll go. You all stay here in case she comes back.”

\-------

“Damn where the heck is she?” Natsu muttered as he weaved through different branches that shot out at him. 

His ears perked up when he heard a twig snap. The silhouette of the (H/C) haired girl alerted the dragon slayer of her presence. 

“There you are,” came his chipper voice. “We were all really worried about you.”

“Sorry,” (Y/N) squeaked. 

Natsu waved it off and approached her, ducking under a large branch to reach her. 

“Was it the fire?” He guessed.

He received a small nod in response. The fire mage apologized for scaring her, and he tried to coax her back to where their guildmates were, but she looked too frightened to return.

“I’ll stay out here.”

“It’s cold,” he prompted. “You’re gonna catch a cold if you stay out here with what you’re wearing.”

“I’m fine.”

“You’re shivering, and I can see that from over here. Let’s go.”

“I can’t,” she echoed, taking small steps backwards.

Natsu went back to her side and grabbed her shoulder, gently guiding her to a small clearing in the forest. (Y/N) looked around to see what he was doing, but he just sat on the grass and patted the spot next to him. She reluctantly followed suit, crossing her legs underneath her. 

“What’re we doing?” She asked, curiosity taking over.

“Are you cold?”

“I--”

“Don’t lie.”

She nodded once again, looking down at her fingers as she picked at the skin. Natsu leaned back on his hands and grinned in her direction. The girl looked at him suspiciously.

“What? Why are you smiling like that?”

“So you’re afraid of fire because you got hurt by it, right?”

“Yes?”

“Well what if we could show you the positives of fire?”

“Positives?”

She let out a noticeable shiver again, leading Natsu to continue with his strategy.

“What do you do when you’re cold?”

“I use blankets.”

“And if you don’t have blankets?”

“Nothing I guess. Extra layers if I have clothes. Why? What do you do when you’re cold?”

Natsu laughed quietly before reminding her that he didn’t get cold as a fire wizard. She let out a small ‘oh,’ continuing to pick at her fingers. 

“Fire can be used for things other than hurting people. Fire can help people who are cold. It can cook. It can even be used as a signal.”

“But it still hurts people.”

The dragon slayer looked to her as he spoke, “Are you afraid of fire?”

“Of course I am.”

“Are you afraid of my fire?”

She hesitated for a bit, but she admitted that she was. Natsu looked up to the sky and posed his next question.

“Are you afraid of me?”

“Of course not, Natsu. You’re my friend.”

“Do you trust me?”

“Yes.”

“So you know that I would never let my fire hurt you,” he stated, testing her limits.

“Yes.”

“Stand over there.”

(Y/N) followed his finger to a spot a few feet away, and she tried questioning him, but he just continued to point. Once she was standing in her spot, Natsu called a small flame to his palm. (Y/N) instinctively tensed and went to escape when Natsu’s voice cut through the panicked buzzing in her head.

“Don’t run away. You’re safe. I won’t let it touch you.”

She looked uncertain, and her fear was easy to spot. Natsu pressed his palm to the ground, and the fire expanded into a small campfire. 

“Natsu, I don’t like this.”

He just sat down by the fire and leaned back on his back, looking up at the sky that peeked through the trees. 

“See if you can come near it.”

“No,” she immediately declined. “I’m not going near it.”

“Will you stay here though? It’s dangerous to keep running off. I’ll make sure it stays small.”

Her head was full of anxiety, but, as she had stated a short while ago to him, she trusted Natsu. So she stayed, standing as far away from the fire as possible without leaving the small clearing. 

“Come near it at your own pace,” he suggested. “It’s a lot warmer near it.”

\-------

It had been another hour, and (Y/N) had managed to move a grand total of three feet from the clearing’s edge. Natsu had drifted off by that point, but his flame stayed under control. She inched closer, but a small crackle made her step back again. 

Another hour had passed, and she was able to accomplish the gain of another couple feet. She could clearly smell the smoke at that point. It was, to her surprise, a different smell from that day in her hometown. This fire was warm, but certainly not as hot as the ones that ignited her fear. It was more tame, more settled. Definitely less threatening. 

Her feet took her closer, and she could see the glow on Natsu’s face from the fire. 

“Natsu,” she whispered.

She didn’t get an answer, so she stepped another inch closer. 

“Natsu.”

Nothing.

(Y/N) bit her lip and took in a deep breath before she quickly darted her hand out to smack his shoulder, immediately retreating her hand away from the fire. The dragon slayer jumped awake and scanned the area, his smile lighting up when he saw how close she was standing. 

“Hey, you’re doing great! How’re you feeling?”

“Terrified, but thanks for asking.”

He sat up and stretched his arms in front of him before patting the spot next to him, just as he did earlier. (Y/N) looked from the fire to him, and she squeezed her eyes shut before taking the last couple steps to sit at the base of the fire. 

“You did it! Now for the next part.”

“Wha--”

“Put your hand by it. You can warm up now.”

“Uh, I don’t know about that, Natsu.”

“Well I guess we can just sit here by it for now then,” he replied. 

He laid back down, his hands under his head. (Y/N) sat there, her eyes trained on the fire. She seemed to notice for the first time the lack of cold as she was enveloped in the soft glow. Her tongue stuck out as she slowly reached for the air around the fire. Her fingers hovered over the fire, her skin taking in the subtle heat. When compared to the flames she knew, Natsu’s fire had no threatening aura. Without her noticing, Natsu had cracked his eyes open and smiled when he saw that she was getting closer to it. She sat back down next to him and her eyes dipped to look at him. 

“Ready for the next thing?”

“There’s a next thing?”

“Well yeah. There’s warmth, but you can also cook. Here.”

A raw fish was pushed into her hands. When she interrogated him about where he got the fish, he just shrugged and said that he ‘picked it up along the way’ and wanted her to cook it for herself. He pulled out another fish and sat up. After he handed her a stick, he showed her how to hold the fish over the fire, occasionally twisting it. 

“See? Isn’t this better from however you cook things?”

They chatted as the fish cooked, and they were able to eat it within a few minutes. (Y/N) smiled wide, and she scooted closer to the fire, stretching her fingers apart to face her palms towards the fire. 

“Are you cold still?”

“Not nearly,” she admitted. “Natsu?”

“Yeah?”

“Your fire is nice,” she quietly revealed. 

Natsu chuckled and stood up, reaching out for her hand to pull her up with him. 

“Come on. Everyone is probably worried.”

“But the fire--”

“The fire back at the camp is the same fire right here.”

“It is?”

“Yeah. It’s the same flames, just slightly bigger because of all the people that need it. It won’t hurt you. Promise.”

(Y/N) took his hand, and she was led back to the camp where they were instantly greeted by a very frantic group of wizards. 

“There you two are,” Lucy breahed. “We were so worried when we saw that you had run off. Natsu said he would get you but then he didn’t return either.”

“Don’t you worry about me, Lucy! I made sure we were both good,” Natsu proudly stated. 

“She wasn’t worried about you at all, pyro. You’re always running off. It’s (N/N) that we were all worried about.”

“What did you just say?” Natsu shouted. 

They both started arguing, and everyone was too distracted by the quarrel to spot (Y/N)’s figure slowly inching towards the main fire. She sat down in front of it and held out her hands, much like how she did back in the deeper part of the forest. Wendy went to check on (Y/N) when she spotted her (E/C) eyes staring into the fire, a small smile on her face. The sky dragon slayer poked Lucy and Erza on the arms to quietly point out her findings. 

“Woah,” Lucy whispered before turning to Natsu and asking, “How’d you do that?”

“What can I say? I’m obviously a great teacher.”

“Can I sleep here?” (Y/N) requested as she pointed to the spot a couple inches away from the fire. “I’m cold.”

Lucy was the one to respond, stuttering out, “Uh, yeah, sure. If you really want to.”

(Y/N) wordlessly gathered her sleeping bag and spread it out near the fire before she crawled in and pulled it over her, her arms still held out to the fire. 

“What did you do for her to do that?”

“Nothing really. Just let her figure it out on her own I guess. Now can we go to sleep? I’m tired.”

“Thank you, Natsu,” (Y/N) whispered to herself. 

“No problem!”


	89. Singer!Natsu x Reader: Secret (Modern AU) Part 3 [requested]

“Am I doing it right yet?”

“Not quite, sweetheart. Try putting your fingers on the strings right by the little bars.”

Natsu was currently trying to teach his daughter, (C/N), to play the guitar. He was, of course, met with flailing hands and broken strings, but he knew not to give up.

“You two are going to run out of strings soon,” (Y/N) light-heartedly joked. 

The two looked up, (C/N) quickly jumping up and running towards her mother and Natsu gently setting down the guitars they were using before picking himself off the floor. 

“Working hard?” She teased. 

“Mommy, I can do an A chord now! Daddy said I can play at his next concert!”

Natsu chuckled and picked her up, balancing her on his hip as he quickly kissed (Y/N)’s cheek. 

“Ew.”

The two parents both laughed before Natsu smiled mischievously at the little girl. He overdramatically kissed her cheek, causing small squeals and giggles to erupt. 

“Daddy, can you sing me a song?”

“Hm,” he thought out loud. “Let’s see here. What would I sing about?”

“You were working on a song about toast!”

“Toast?” (Y/N) echoed. “Were you hungry or something?”

Natsu laughed and picked up the guitar, motioning for (C/N) to pick up hers. 

_Doesn't matter if it’s burnt  
Doesn’t matter if it’s stale  
It may be your worst  
But I’ll eat warm bread all day_

The little girl started giggling as she played random strings along to the tune. Natsu looked up to (Y/N) and smiled. (Y/N) joined the two on the floor and spread out her legs as she leaned against the foot of the couch. 

“You two are gonna be the next artists of the year if you keep practicing.”

Natsu’s phone started ringing, so he grabbed it from the table and left the room to take it. He returned a few minutes later to see that his daughter had gone back to trying to learn the chords, and his eyes landed on (Y/N) as she made her way into the kitchen. 

“Who was that?”

“Jon.”

“Tour?”

Natsu sighed and nodded. 

“How long?”

“Six months.”

(Y/N) pushed herself off the counter that she was leaning on and took his hands.

“Sorry.”

“Don’t be sorry, Natsu. It’s your life. You deserve to go on tour. You’ve worked so hard for it. Don’t let it slip away. Besides,” she joked, “I think if you stay home and continue teaching her we’re gonna have to send someone else on tours, and then I’ll be here all alone while you two play out venues.”

“I can postpone it.”

“Natsu, I told you when we got engaged that I don’t want you to put your life on hold for me. You can’t back away from what you love.”

“Exactly what I’m saying.”

“Natsu, do it for your fans. Do it for the love of your job.”

Natsu looked off to the side, his eyes eventually finding hers again.

“She’s gonna be upset. She was last time.”

(Y/N) rolled her eyes and called out to the living room. (C/N) wandered in, her father’s guitar strapped to her shoulder. She gave the grin that (Y/N) would come to notice as a perfect copy of Natsu’s, waddling awkwardly as she walked with the guitar bumping against her with each step.

“How do you feel about your dad going back on tour?”

“Woah, no way! That’s so cool! Didn’t you already have one last year? Do you think you can bring me home another statue from London?”

“But weren’t you upset the last time I left?”

“Well, yeah. I’m gonna miss you a lot, daddy. But that means everyone can see how cool you are. Everyone in my class wants to come over all the time, and one girl even paid to see you play. I don’t even have to pay a penny!”

Natsu chuckled and unwound his daughter from his guitar and set it down in the corner. She quickly hugged him tight, and Natsu returned her tight hold. The singer seemed to get an idea, stepping away from his family and grabbing his phone.

“What’s he doing, mom?”

“I have a feeling we’ll find out when he gets back.”

It was about twenty minutes later before Natsu returned, and when he did, he clapped his hands for an announcement.

“How would you two lovely ladies like to come on the first leg?”

“No way!” (C/N) breathed. “Can we go backstage?”

“Yes.”

“And in the hotels?”

“Yes.”

“Fancy cars?”

“Yes,” Natsu laughed. 

“...On stage?”

“I think I can arrange for a duet.”

(C/N) hopped excitedly from one foot to the other. Seconds later, she darted out of the room, and her parents heard her loud footsteps rushing up the stairs.

“Don’t fall!” (Y/N) called out.

“I won’t!”

When she looked back over to Natsu, (Y/N) could see that he was relieved. She knew that it was hard for him to be away. I mean, it was hard for all of them. But she knew that it was necessary. After signing with Jon, Natsu had finally been able to start putting his voice into his music. 

A lot happened in the ten years since then. Natsu had released seven albums, all of which were very well received by his fans. He had built up a larger fanbase, as listeners appreciated his way with words. A couple awards, namely the Top Streaming Artist and Top Selling Artist. A supportive team. An encouraging wife who stayed with him, dealing with all the chaos that the ten years had caused. She never made a big deal about the invasion of privacy, even if she was clearly annoyed when a paparazzi was able to catch a picture of her immediately face planting into the icy driveway while desperately holding onto her hot chocolate. 

Oh.

And who could forget the little girl that turned his whole life around? Even if she was only seven, she had lit Natsu’s life up brighter than anything else. The money? Fame? Nothing compared to being able to sing his daughter to sleep at night. All he needed was three things: his daughter, his wife, and his guitar. Nothing else mattered. 

“Daddy, come here!”

He snapped out of his trance and followed his daughter’s voice over to the stairs. When he reached the living room, he spotted (C/N) dragging her suitcase down the stairs. Natsu rushed over to her, catching the bag before it could knock her down.

“What’s all this?”

“Aren’t we leaving? I packed my guitar too! I can’t wait to play in front of all those people!”

They both heard a small giggle from behind them, and they looked over to see an amused (Y/N) leaning against the archway from the kitchen.

“Mom,” (C/N) firmly started, “you need to get packed. We’ll leave without you if we have to!”

“Sweetheart, we’re not leaving yet.”

She let out a small ‘oh’ before she turned to her suitcase and unzipped it. Guitar in hand, she skipped over to the front door and twisted the knob. Cameras immediately started flashing at the sight of movement from the house, and (C/N) waved enthusiastically at all of the paparazzi. 

“Do you wanna hear a song?” She shouted.

She adjusted her guitar and (attempted to) start strumming the chords that her father had played her at bedtime. 

_Goodnight, goodnight my little girl  
You are, you are my entire world  
So shut, so shut your sleepy eyes  
And…_

(C/N) stopped suddenly and spun around to face Natsu, whispering, “Daddy, I forgot the words. What are they?”

Natsu (as well as the sea of photographers present) laughed quietly at the scene. He leaned down to whisper it in her ear before giving her a thumbs up. She grinned and turned back to the crowd, finishing off the rest of the opening stanza. (Y/N) drifted towards them and gave a small wave to the cameras as she watched their daughter entertain them. 

“My daddy is gonna take me with him this time,” she proudly revealed. “And I’m gonna sing my own song in front of everyone and then I can get famous like him!”

(C/N) did one last overdramatic strum to finish the song before she hopped back inside. She returned a few seconds later with a bag of chips, and she started to hand each photographer some.

“Honey,” (Y/N) laughed, “I don’t think they want your chips.”

“Nonsense!” She interrupted. “Everyone wants a chip, right?”

Natsu stayed with her, making sure that she didn’t get hurt going into the swarm, and helped her distribute the snack to all of them. 

“See? They’re much happier now. And I bet they got a cool picture of me, right?”

“I’m sure they did.”

“Mission accomplished,” she declared as she shoved the last chip in her mouth. “Now you have to get back to writing or else you won’t have any songs to sing.”

“Sweetheart, I have plenty--”

“No complaining! I’ll even help you.”

“You better listen to what she says, Natsu,” (Y/N) teased. “She might cancel your tour.”


End file.
